Middlesbrough verdict: Where it went wrong against Bristol City as Neil Warnock's side produce shambolic first-half display

After Saturday’s win at Reading, Middlesbrough fans will have been looking up the table after such an assured away performance against a play-off rival.

Welcoming an out of form Bristol City side, who had lost their last six league games, to the Riverside seemed like the perfect chance to build some momentum. That assumption couldn’t have been further from what unfolded.

The hosts were 3-0 down before half-time after a first-half double from Famara Diedhiou and a Nahki Wells finish.

Dael Fry's late goal ten minutes from time was a mere consolation.

We take a closer look at the main talking points:

Summary

Warnock stuck with the same starting XI which beat Reading three days earlier.

The first few minutes actually appeared encouraging, with Marc Bola delivering a low cross from the left which was blocked. It very quickly turned ugly, though.

Boro were linked with Robins frontman Diedhiou in January, and the forward added his seventh league goal of the campaign when he headed home Adam Nagy’s cross on 21 minutes.

To make matters worse, Boro striker Ashley Fletcher was forced off with an injury shortly after the opener, with Chuba Akpom taking his place.

Defensively, the hosts were all over the place and fell further behind when Wells’ cutback presented a routine tap-in for Diedhiou on 33 minutes.

Diedhiou returned the favour when he beat Fry to a header and sent Wells through on goal to make it 3-0 eight minutes before half-time.

Warnock made an offensive change at half-time as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing replaced Darnell Fisher, yet it was too little too late – even when Fry pulled one back.

Tactics

Boro’s formation looked adaptable and fluid at Reading, yet it clearly looked like they were playing with a back three and wing-backs here.

That was because Bristol City operate in a 3-5-2 system, meaning home flankers Bola and Fisher were marking Robins wing-backs Jack Hunt and Ryley Towler.

The aforementioned Boro duo took up advanced positions as the hosts tried to play on the front foot, yet doing so only left the Teessiders exposed at the back.

When the hosts lost the ball in midfield, which they did too often in the first half, Diedhiou, Wells and attacking midfielder Kasey Palmer had space to attack.

Boro’s defence looked vulnerable and frail, which has rarely been the case when Fry, McNair and Dijksteel have played as a back three this term.

And while the hosts tried to go direct from goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli, City often attempted to play the ball out from the back by using their extra centre-back astutely

Holding midfielder Tyreeq Bakinson therefore saw plenty of the ball and was able to dictate in the first half.

Boro were regularly outnumbered.

Star man

It’s hard to look past Bristol City forwards Diedhiou and Wells as Boro’s defence couldn’t cope with them.

For the hosts, few will come away with credit, although McNair came close to finding a breakthrough for Boro in the first half.

What’s next?

Boro remain three points off the play-offs after this result, yet that gap could widen ahead of their meeting with Cardiff this weekend.

With 14 games left, Warnock’s side can’t afford more performances like this.

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