So, we said at the start that this was the kind of game that Middlesbrough needed to win. They’ve lost it. They were awful. They are in trouble. Goal difference is keeping them out of the bottom three and the worry for Aitor Karanka must be that his team never looked like scoring. Watford did enough, snatching the points thanks to a Jose Holebas wonder goal and they move up to ninth place. Not bad at all. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye.
Full-time: Middlesbrough 0-1 Watford
It’s all over! The Middlesbrough fans greet the final whistle with boos.
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90 min+4: Ayala hoofs a cross miles over for a goal-kick to Watford.
90 min+3: Watford are wasting time deep in Middlesbrough territory.
90 min: There will be six minutes of added time. Six! We’ll now test my theory about Middlesbrough’s goalscoring capabilities.
89 min: Jordan Rhodes comes on for Middlesbrough, joining Alvaro Negredo up front. He’s replaced De Roon. The home fans cheer ironically. Too little, too late? Is Aitor Karanka too cautious? Middlesbrough look like they could play until next week without scoring.
88 min: Ben Watson replaces Isaac Success, who’s just been named Man of the Match on Sky.
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87 min: Downing’s poor corner is claimed by Gomes. What a let down.
86 min: Friend wins a corner on the left.
85 min: Christian Kabasele replaces Miguel Britos for Watford.
84 min: Miguel Britos, struggling with an injury, is down for a second time. His afternoon is probably over.
83 min: Oh no. The feed is back. Middlesbrough are still losing.
80 min: In a worrying turn of events, heavy rain in London has disrupted my feed. This is arguably more entertaining than anything taking place on the pitch.
79 min: Downing curls in a cross from the right, De Roon flicks a header wide. Middlesbrough haven’t created a noteworthy chance.
76 min: The tricky Success produces a couple of stepovers to beat Chambers on the left before shooting straight at Valdes.
72 min: Watford bring on Juan Zuniga for Amrabat, who was on a booking.
71 min: A Watford corner on the left. It’s cleared as far as Capoue, whose drive is deflected into the six-yard box by the unwitting Negredo. It spins just too far in front of the unmarked Success, who would surely have scored. He attempts to keep the move alive but his cross from the right is booted clear.
69 min: Middlesbrough bring on Adama Traore and Daniel Ayala for Christian Stuani and Antonio Barragan, who has somehow managed to avoid a red card this afternoon.
68 min: Friend swings a dangerous cross into the area from the right. Negredo’s header is weak and mistimed. Gomes gathers and there’s a stoppage in play because Holebas is down with a head injury.
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66 min: Fine, it’s October. Fine, there are more than 20 minutes left. But I’ve not seen much evidence to suggest that Middlesbrough are going to stay up. They have been so average.
65 min: Amrabat is booked for a bodycheck on Friend.
62 min: Stuani digs a cross out on the right and finds Ramirez at the near post. He tumbles, claiming he’s being pulled by Britos. Nothing doing. “You better believe I showered my living room with gold coins after that Holebas goal,” says JR in Illinois. “I’ve got him on my fantasy team.”
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57 min: “I once worked for Carluccio, Jacob,” says William Hargreaves. “He explained that each pasta shape is specifically designed to transport the sauce to the mouth. Spaghetti is used for large lumps of stuff - it can be twirled around the fork above a meatball or vongole (clams), for example. Pappardelle, very thick strands, or tagliatelle, thick strands would be used for a thinner, meaty sauce. When they are twirled they entrap the sauce. And herbs are rarely used in these sauces - they taste better without. Here endeth the lesson, as Sean Connery might say.”
55 min: Looking for an immediate response, Forshaw skews a shot wide from 25 yards. He’s no Holebas.
GOAL!!!!!!! AN ACTUAL GOAL!!!!! Middlesbrough 0-1 Watford (Holebas, 54 min)
Out of nothing, Watford take the lead thanks to a moment of magic from Jose Holebas! They were still grumbling about Roger East’s refusal to award them a penalty when Forshaw appeared to trip Success, who had made a mug out of Barragan again, when the ball ran to Holebas, 20 yards out. He took a touch and then struck a fierce shot with his left foot, the ball swerving away from Valdes and into the top right corner, a bolt from the blue that has left Middlesbrough in utter shock.
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53 min: Stuani runs on to a flick from Negredo and shoots wide from the right. This is a bit better from Middlesbrough. “I can hear the gasps already, sorry to state the blatantly obvious but perhaps chorizo sausage,” says Suzie Racine. “But then again I love chorizo in paella. I blame my Irish heritage on this blasphemy.”
Are you Jamie Oliver in disguise?
52 min: Negredo slides a clever pass through to Stuani, who jigs inside and lays it off to Forshaw. His careful shot is politely placed straight at Gomes from 20 yards.
49 min: “‘Twas only last week I was regaling a colleague regarding my mum who used to cut spaghetti in half to make it fit the pan, but at that point in time spaghetti hoops were seen as exotic,” says John Tumbridge.
Keep sending your bolognese memories in.
48 min: Excitement! Momentary excitement! Negredo bursts past the Watford defence. Amrabat, the last defender, toes the ball away from him, though.
46 min: Off we go again. I’m armed with a big pot of coffee now. “Anything ‘controversial’ going in your bolognese later?” says Bruce Jackson. “And will you be having it with the traditional British accompaniment of spaghetti?”
Firstly I can’t confirm that we’ll be having spaghetti yet. It could be something Indian and vegetarian. If not, what ingredient would you say constitutes controversial in a bolognese? A Hobnob?
Half-time: Middlesbrough 0-0 Watford
Time for a quick nap.
44 min: I’m thinking of making bolognese later.
42 min: Younes Kaboul, who is in total clown mode, tries to clear Ramirez’s cross. Instead he slips and heads it to Negredo, who swivels and shoots straight at Gomes. Moments later, Ramirez is booked for pushing Behrami after a disagreement between the pair.
38 min: Stuani is booked for ... pulling back Pereyra. Explain that one. “Perhaps the chess game this match will wind up resembling will be the famous “American Beauty” game between Levitzky and Marshall,” says JR in Illinois. “Marshall made a move so stunningly beautiful that he was showered with gold pieces after Levitzky resigned. Well, we can hope.”
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36 min: Stuani goes down clutching his face after a tussle with Holebas. He’s made rather a lot of that.
34 min: You suspect that Watford are going to give the ball to Success and get him to run at Barragan at every opportunity.
31 min: This is absurd. Success steams past Barragan on the left and the Middlesbrough right-back, booked for a foul on the same player 10 minutes ago, pulls him back cynically. That has to be a second yellow card. It’s not a debate. It just has to be. Instead, though, Roger East errs on the side of leniency, contenting himself with delivering a stern lecture to the extremely fortunate Barragan, who’s a lucky boy. Watford can’t believe it.
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27 min: Chambers needlessly concedes a free-kick with a stupid shove on Success, who was going nowhere on the left. From the resulting delivery, Negredo decides he’d like to boost his confidence in front of goal and nods narrowly over his own bar. Whoops. Middlesbrough survive a moment of near farce. He totally mistimed that. In the end, it’s just a corner for Watford and it comes to nothing.
25 min: Barragan hooks a cross into the area from the right. Downing tries to head it back into the middle from the left and there’s a shout for handball against Amrabat. Downing’s header did hit his hands but it looked accidental. Roger East isn’t interested in the penalty appeals again and play continues, with the ball falling to Downing, who cracks a shot wide. It’s all Middlesbrough.
23 min: Negredo falls theatrically in the Watford area. Roger East is not interested. Younes Kaboul did have an arm around Negredo but the fall was a tad exaggerated.
21 min: The new camera angle has, of course, been in place all season. It’s just that they’ve switched sides. This is the first Middlesbrough game I’ve watched live. It’s a new experience for me. The camera used to be in the stand that houses the dugouts. Now we’re opposite the dugouts. While I was discussing that, Barragan was booked for a foul on Success.
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20 min: Friend’s teasing cross is meat and drink for Gomes. Plenty of effort from Middlesbrough. Little quality.
17 min: Barragan wins a corner on the right for Middlesbrough. It comes to nothing.
15 min: A free-kick to Middlesbrough on the left. They try a clever one from the training ground, Downing rolling it inside to Ramirez, who can’t thread a second pass through the Watford defence.
13 min: Exclusive video of this game.
11 min: Watford have tried a couple of long throws. Middlesbrough are unflustered.
9 min: Emails please!
6 min: Younes Kaboul, who always seems to be on the verge of a costly error, even when he’s playing well, drops his own team in it by losing the ball near the Watford area. Gaston Ramirez exchanges passes with Alvaro Negredo and drags a poor shot wide, though.
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5 min: There’s a decent atmosphere inside the Riverside, the home fans trying to roar their team on. Middlesbrough have settled nicely here.
3 min: This is an open start. George Friend scoots down the left and clips a low first-time cross into the area. Stewart Downing scoops over from 15 yards.
2 min: What do we think of the new camera angle at Middlesbrough? How do we feel when a new camera angle is unveiled? Strange? Emotional?
And we’re off! Watford, kicking from right to left, get the game underway. Walter Mazzarri has made a big decision, preferring Isaac Success to Odion Ighalo up front. Almost immediately, Watford’s new look attack are threatening, with Troy Deeney bursting on to a flick on in the home area. He’s denied by Ben Gibson.
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The teams are out. Middlesbrough in red, Watford in white. The visitors will be hoping that Middlesbrough’s defenders still haven’t recovered from Dimitri Payet pulling their pants over their heads two weeks ago.
The teams!
Middlesbrough: Valdes; Barragan, Chambers, Gibson, Friend; De Roon, Forshaw; Stuani, Ramirez, Downing; Negredo. Subs: Guzan, Ayala, Bernardo, Clayton, Fischer, Rhodes, Traore
Watford: Gomes; Kaboul, Prodl, Britos; Amrabat, Capoue, Behrami, Holebas; Pereyra, Success; Deeney. Subs: Pantilimon, Mariappa, Kabasele, Zuniga, Watson, Guedioura, Ighalo.
Referee: Roger East.
Preamble
Hello. No disrespect to Watford, but you suspect that this is the kind of game that Middlesbrough need to win if they are going to stay up. The problem for Aitor Karanka is that they’ve not been doing much of that lately. After starting the season with four points from their first two matches, drawing at home with Stoke City and winning at Sunderland, Middlesbrough have slipped since then, drawing two and losing three of their past five matches. Defeats to Everton and Spurs were understandable enough given the quality of their opponents, it must be said, and Crystal Palace were at the start of a terrific run when they won at the Riverside, while Middlesbrough’s sturdiness was in evidence during away draws with West Brom and West Ham.
But the pressure is on. Yet to win at home this season, Middlesbrough need to start somewhere. And where better than against a side whose last away fixture ended in a dispiriting 2-0 defeat at Burnley, with Walter Mazzarri tearing into his players afterwards? Hold on just a moment, though. Other than that disappointment at Turf Moor, Watford have been quietly impressive this season, enjoying eye-catching wins over West Ham and Manchester United last month. They’ve been playing some decent stuff under their new Italian manager. While goals have been hard to come by for Middlesbrough, Watford’s front two of Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney remain a nightmarish proposition for any defence when they are in the mood, while Roberto Pererya could be one of the buys of the season. You know what they say. No easy games in this league*.
*You can say that with a straight face now Aston Villa have gone.
Kick-off: 1.30pm BST.
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