The Teessiders went out after losing 4-2 on penalties and, despite coming from two goals down, Boro head coach Jonathan Woodgate slammed his side’s ‘terrible’ performance. We take a closer look at how the match played out, the key moments and who came away with some credit. Scroll down and flick through our gallery to find out:
5. How the opposition looked: Crewe Alexandra
Operating in a 4-3-3 system, the visitors pressed Boro high up the pitch for large spells in the first half and were the hungrier side for most of the match. They retreated as the Teessiders applied some late pressure which led to the equaliser. Photo: Nathan Stirk
6. Tactical battle
Woodgate's substitutions made a difference as Paddy McNair gave Boro more drive from midfield and Fleteher asked more questions of the Crewe defence. Boro's midfield was bypassed for large stages in the first half while the visitors exploited the gaps which were left on the flanks. Woodgate altered his formation to 4-4-2 at half-time and there was a slight improvement. Photo: Getty Images
7. What the managers made of it: Jonathan Woodgate
“Terrible performance. Not what I want from my teams but like I’ve said before we are thin on the ground. I’ll take a couple of pluses from Ashley Fletcher’s performance second half, Paddy McNair, Nathan Wood but apart from that, not good at all." Photo: Harriet Lander
8. David Artell (Crewe)
“I think we deserved to win in 90 minutes. This was a three quarter empty stadium and it’s about mental toughness as much as ability. We all want to score, we all want to win, it’s about believing you are going to score and this was a terrific night football from the boys." Photo: Nathan Stirk