Middlesbrough won 1-0 in their opening Championship clash vs Swansea City.
Middlesbrough played Luke Williams’ Swansea City in their opening game of the 2024/25 Championship season on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Carrick lined out his new-look first-team squad at the Riverside Stadium for what promised to be a tough opener against an improved Swansea team.
Boro have signed five new players during the 2024 summer transfer so far, with the latest addition seeing Middlesbrough sign Micah Hamilton from Manchester City for £3.5m.
The Teessiders completely dominated the opening 20 minutes and eventually found a breakthrough in the 24th minute.
Isaiah Jones was brought down in the Swansea box, with Emmanuel Latte stepping up to convert the ensuing penalty.
Boro’s grip on the game faded toward the end of the first half, with Swansea spending much of the second 45 on top.
Jones should have made it 2-0 to Boro after getting through on goal in injury-time but his effort was cleared by a defender.
Regardless, the home side were able to stave off any late threat from Swansea to pick up their first win of 2024/25.
After a game of two halves, here’s how we rated Carrick’s Middlesbrough players today…
Middlesbrough player ratings for Swansea City
Seny Dieng 7.5/10
Had little to do in the first 45 but made a crucial last-ditch save to deny Azeem Abdulai following a sloppy pass from Aidan Morris. Seny Dieng’s distribution was excellent as well.
Luke Ayling 6/10
Luke Ayling failed to provide much of the attacking threat he showed during his loan spell last season but was defensively solid for most of the game.
Rav van den Berg 7.5/10
Another solid showing from the young centre-back. He kept Swansea’s strikers pretty quiet and played out from the back well. Made a huge block in the final minute to prevent a late equaliser.
Matt Clarke 6/10
Helped Middlesbrough deal with the aerial threat of Swansea’s forwards and started a few attacks himself with some great long balls out from the back.
Lukas Engel 5/10
Lukas Engel started the fixture well, bombing down the left flank to cause problems for the away team but his impact faded as the game went on.
- READ MORE: Transfer expert reveals Middlesbrough’s eight-figure price tag for Wolves target Emmanuel Latte Lath
Hayden Hackney 5/10
Struggled to add much in the attacking third and his poor passing gifted Swansea a few chances in the second half.
Aidan Morris 6/10
Failed to get involved in the first half and nearly gave away a goal with a sloppy pass to Dieng, who was forced to make a late save. Morris improved as the game wore on, breaking up play well and starting attacking movements.
Isaiah Jones 8/10
Isaiah Jones was very lively down the right-hand side throughout the game, with his quick feet causing Swansea a lot of problems.
He won the penalty in the first half that put Middlesbrough 1-0 up and continued to terrorize the Swansea defence. Should have squared his late effort to Delano Burgzorg but overall, a solid display.
Finn Azaz 4/10
Finn Azaz probably should have killed the game off at least twice during the course of the second half but his poor finishing let him down. His link-up with Latte Lath was disappointing as well.
Riley McGree 5/10
Riley McGree’s defensive work against Swansea was solid but he offered very little going forward. The Australian needs to form a better understanding with Engel down Boro’s left-hand side.
Emmanuel Latte Lath 6.5/10
Was a constant threat for Boro, using his pace to get in behind the Swansea backline on numerous occasions. Produced a cool penalty to put the Reds 1-0 up and continued to threaten with his runs off the last defender.
SUB: Delano Burgzorg 3/10
Made a few fouls after coming on that handed Swansea unnecessary chances. Did little in the final third.
SUB: Josh Coburn 2/10
Only came on for the final four minutes of normal time and barely touched the ball.
SUB: Jonny Howson N/A
Was brought on in the 94th minute and did not touch the ball.