Middlesbrough picked up a potentially vital win in their season on Wednesday night.
Michael Carrick‘s side came from a goal down to beat Norwich City 3-1 at The Riverside Stadium.
That saw ‘Boro end a run of just one win in their last seven league games, that had seen them slip out of the play-off race.
With victory here though, Middlesbrough now sit 12th in the Championship table, nine points clear of the relegation zone.
The win will have brought a major sense of relief to the club given that recent run. Indeed, the fact it was likely aided by the controversial sending off of Borja Sainz for Norwich City, will be of little concern.
For Middlesbrough themselves, two players who have won praise for their performances on Wednesday, are Lukas Engel and Luke Ayling.
Wing-back duo impress vs Norwich City
Carrick made a rather significant tactical call with his line up for this clash with the Canaries.
That saw Middlesbrough switch to a five-man defence, with Engel and Ayling operating at wing-back as part of that.
It was a move that ultimately paid off on Wednesday night. The duo were a consistent threat going forward up against the ten men.
They would also link up for that all-important third Middlesbrough goal. That came on the hour-mark, when Engel produced a brilliant back post volley to fire hom a pinpoint Ayling cross.
The pair have therefore been praised in the aftermath of the win. Speaking about Engel and Ayling in a video posted on X after the game, Northern Echo journalist Scott Wilson said:
“I thought Engel and Ayling were both really good in the wing-back positions in the second half. Getting out wide, getting crosses into the box, making sure that ‘Boro stayed on the front foot, and in the end, Michael Carrick’s decision to switch to five at the back was vindicated. It didn’t necessarily look that way in the early stages, but it turned out that way in the end.”
Next up for Middlesbrough is a trip to Loftus Road to face QPR on Saturday afternoon.
Big game for Middlesbrough duo
This may well prove to be a significant game for Engel and Ayling in their time at The Riverside Stadium.
Both players have come in for criticism at times during the season so far for Middlesbrough. As a result, it may have been a gamble for Carrick to use them in this system on Wednesday.
Indeed, that did look as though it may have backfired early on when Norwich City were on top. Ayling in particular, looked as though he could have been in for a tough night against Dimitris Giannoulis.
However, the pair stood up to that well in the end. Once the visitors went down to ten men, they were also a huge threat going forward for Middlesbrough.
Both put in some dangerous deliveries that caused the Canaries’ defence plenty of problems, best highlighted with that connection for the third goal.
That is something that has also seen Engel in particular win praise from elsewhere as well. The duo therefore ought to take a lot of confidence from this.
After a tough period, both will therefore surely hope to use this as a springboard to build on over the rest of this season with Middlesbrough.