Middlesbrough fell to defeat on the road on Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 by Watford.
Michael Carrick’s side were hoping to make it three wins in a row after an excellent midweek victory against West Bromwich Albion but conceded two goals in the final 15 minutes.
George Edmundson gave Boro the lead in the 54th minute but goals from Edo Kayembe and Kwadwo Baah condemned the Teessiders to defeat on the road.
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Tom Cleverley reveals tactical switch he made that inspired Watford to Middlesbrough win
Under the guise of Tom Cleverley, Watford have largely been based their style of play on possession but Cleverley revealed that he had to divert away from his usual tactics to get the win.
He said: “We don’t want to be a counter-attacking team, but if we have to be we’ve got the tools to do it and I thought the lads were excellent. We’ve played against a top team today and sometimes you’ve got to absorb when the opposition are so good.
“I’m so pleased for the lads. We had to show a lot of patience, we stayed in the game at one down, and then our subs came on, made an impact and won us the game. It’s a significant win and I’m really pleased.”
Tom Cleverley praises Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick
To change your style of play to accommodate Boro’s style of play is a positive reflection on the work Carrick has done in his time at the Riverside Stadium and Cleverley was certainly full of praise when it came to talking the challenge they faced.
“To compete against the quality of the opposition is really encouraging. You know against Middlesbrough you will have to suffer some periods without the ball. To me, that was the perfect way to respond [to the midweek defeat to Preston] and we’ve shown our credentials today,” said Cleverley.
“We knew we would have to be solid because they’re a team who love to attack you through the middle of the pitch with their two midfielders and also two number tens with Hamilton coming inside alongside Azaz. So if you lose discipline once it can be a knife through butter. It takes 95 minutes of focus and that is tough on the legs. But the players executed it perfectly.”