Middlesbrough 0-1 Chelsea: Three things we learnt

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Middlesbrough lack cutting edge

Aitor Karanka will have been relatively content with his team’s performance against Chelsea. The home side, marshalled superbly by central defender Ben Gibson, restricted their illustrious visitors to a limited number of clear-cut goal scoring opportunities and were always in the game when they were trailing by just one goal. However, in truth, they rarely troubled Chelsea and one solitary shot on target in ninety minutes clearly defines where their issues will lie this season.

Middlesborough came into this game on the back of an impressive three game winning run which included away draws at Arsenal and Manchester City along with a victory at the Riverside over Bournemouth. The mini-run eased fears of a relegation battle and whilst Karanka’s team certainly do not look like to be in the dire straights that their rivals Sunderland, Hull and Swansea currently find themselves in, this game suggests that they still have plenty of work to do, especially in the final third, to guarantee Premier League survival.