The Neil Warnock tactics which helped Middlesbrough stun Millwall as promising partnership emerges

For the opening 20 minutes it almost seemed too easy.

After back-to-back defeats at Stoke and Preston, Middlesbrough’s confidence will have probably taken a bit of a hit ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Millwall at the Riverside.

It didn’t show though. Three goals in a frantic seven-minute spell meant this game was seemingly done and dusted before the half-time whistle. It finished 3-0 but could have been more.

"I was a bit worried today how we would start the game so we concentrated on trying to get a quick start,” admitted Warnock after the match. “I didn’t think in my wildest dreams it would be that quick.”

The last time Boro scored three goals in the opening 20 minutes in a league game is unclear. “Our stats guy went back to 1977 and then passed out,” said Colin Murray during the EFL’s highlights show on Quest.

Watmore and Tavernier make an impact

Despite some costly defensive mistakes during Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat at Preston, it was Boro’s shortcomings at the other end of the pitch which will have been more concerning for Warnock.

The Teessiders’ failure to create and take chances has cost them for a while, yet they had a spark in the final third here.

That transformation was triggered by Duncan Watmore, who scored twice and hardly stopped running before he was substituted in the 71st minute.

Marcus Tavernier’s return to the starting XI also gave Boro some much-needed energy in the final third, while the 21-year-old netted his first league goal of the season in between Watmore’s brace.

"He’s been due a goal,” said Warnock when asked about Tavernier after the game.

"I thought the way to try and get a result was playing one or two touches sometimes in their half and I thought we really pressured them well.”

Boro’s adaptable system

It must be said that Millwall were the worst side Boro have faced in a Championship match this season, yet the hosts took full advantage.

As Warnock pointed out after the game, it was unclear if Gary Rowett’s team would play with a back three or a back four, yet the Teessiders found a way to deal with both scenarios.

As Millwall started with a back three and wing-backs in Mahlon Romeo and Scott Malone, Boro were able to match their opponents out of possession, while still posing a significant threat going forward.

On paper, Boro’s set-up looked like a 4-4-2 formation with Anfernee Dijksteel, Dael Fry, Paddy McNair and Marc Bola making up the Teessiders’ backline.

That’s certainly what it looked like when Warnock’s side had the ball, yet out of possession, either Bola or Dijksteel were able to tuck inside as Johnson or Tavernier tracked the Millwall wing-backs. It was a seamless transition.

Promising partnership emerging

In truth Boro didn’t have to do much defending in the early exchanges as they piled on the pressure.

Millwall’s backline of Shaun Hutchinson, Alex Pearce and Jake Cooper aren’t the quickest, meaning Watmore and strike partner Chuba Akpom were able to stretch and unpick the visitors’ rearguard.

Watmore and Akpom were team-mates when they played for England Under-21s and have linked up well when they have started up front together at Boro.

Akpom in particular appears far more comfortable when he has support rather than playing up front on his own, and his runs on and off the ball created space for his team-mates.

That was evident for Boro’s opener when Akpom held off Hutchinson and passed the ball back to Saville, who cut open Millwall’s defence with a slick ball to Johnson on the left. The latter’s low cross was converted by Watmore in a move where everything clicked.

There was plenty of talk before this game about playmaker Patrick Roberts who once again started on the bench and came on for the final few minutes. Despite their struggles in recent weeks, the hosts didn’t lack that creativity here.

An assured team performance

Warnock was also quick to praise the performances of Saville and midfield partner Sam Morsy, who will have a big role to play in the few weeks due to Jonny Howson’s hamstring injury.

The pair will face tougher tests in games to come but kept Boro on the front foot by snapping into challenges and releasing the offensive players ahead of them.

Millwall’s early collapse prompted Rowett to change his side’s shape shortly after conceding the third, with striker Jon Daoi Bodvarsson replacing Pearce as the Lions switched to a back four.

The game inevitably settled but Boro could have still scored more, as Paddy McNair’s powerful free-kick was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski, while Akpom saw what looked like a strong penalty appeal turned down.

With little to lose, Millwall introduced towering frontman Matt Smith in the second half, yet Boro centre-backs McNair and Fry looked back to their assured best after that bip at Preston in midweek.

It was also reassuring to see Diksteel complete 88 minutes after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury. With a thin squad, we have already seen what a big difference a couple of key players can make.

Boro found the winning formula here, yet that isn’t always easy to maintain when games come thick and fast.

Saturday’s result moved Warnock’s side up to ninth in the table after 18 games and, interestingly, they have played all the sides above them.

Few games are likely to be as straightforward as this, but Boro have some momentum back ahead of a favourable run of fixtures.

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