Why Middlesbrough had to beat Coventry after Bristol City and Cardiff results plus encouraging signs ahead of Nottingham Forest

The one potential pitfall after taking four points from two difficult away games is it raises expectations.

Middlesbrough’s performances at Bristol City and Cardiff, as well as in their previous five league games, had shown Neil Warnock’s side are unlikely to give anyone an easy ride this term.

The Teessiders still haven’t lost in the Championship since a 1-0 defeat at Watford on the opening day of the campaign, yet there will be certain games they’re expected to win.

A home fixture against a recently-promoted Coventry side who had gone five games without a victory falls into that category – and Warnock’s men passed the test.

For 81 minutes it looked like it would be a frustrating evening for the Teessiders, who struggled to break down Mark Robins’ side until two late goals from Britt Assombalonga and Djed Spence.

Warnock’s half-time message after an uneventful first half was to be patient as the visitors defended in numbers out of possession.

Eventually gaps opened up, though, with players able to keep their cool and produce the match-winning moments.

The opener came after an excellent pass from Sam Morsy split Coventry’s defence wide open, allowing Assombalonga to convert.

Morsy, who arrived from Wigan in the summer, is looking like a shrewd signing who not only breaks up play but who can also play that killer pass for the players in front of him.

It will also be encouraging for Warnock to see Assombalonga net his first goal of the season after weeks of hard work and little reward.

Boro still don’t score many goals and are short of options up front so will need their captain on song.

Spence showed similar composure and awareness when he latched onto Marcus Browne’s pass in stoppage-time. It came after Warnock said he wanted his wide players to score more goals.

And while Boro still appear to be lacking some attacking firepower, it doesn’t look like they’ll need to be a free-scoring team.

That’s because Warnock has tightened things up at the back and his side have rarely looked like conceding in recent weeks.

Boro reverted to a back three and wing-backs to match Coventry up on the flanks, with Dael Fry, Anfernee Dijksteel and Paddy McNair once again forming a robust defensive line.

Marcus Tavernier also deserves a mention after switching to a left wing-back role and backing up his encouraging performance at Cardiff.

Not only did the 21-year-old look like Boro’s best attacking threat for the first hour, he also made a crucial block to deny Coventry’s Jordan Shipley when the visitors made a rare burst forward in the second half.

The moment once again highlighted how everyone knows their defensive responsibilities under Warnock, and it’s little surprise the Teessiders have one of the tightest backlines in the Championship.

That may take something away from the side’s attacking output, and Boro are yet to get the best out of Patrick Roberts in his two appearances this season.

Yet successful teams are often built from the back – just look at Aitor Karanka’s promotion-winning side.

Anything less than a win would have been disappointing on Tuesday night, yet Boro got the job done ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.

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