Source: Telegraph
Middlesbrough 1 Aston Villa 1: Match report
His side fought their hearts out against Aston Villa, straining every fibre to survive relegation. As it was, they just ran out of juice, meaning that next week they must beat West Ham, hope Newcastle lose to Villa, and pray that Manchester United – who have a Champions League final three days later, remember – hammer Hull. Boro are separated from the abyss by the thinnest of threads. [LNB]Prior to kick-off, the Riverside DJ had chosen to pump out Chumbawamba's 1997 anthem Tubthumping as inspiration. 'I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down,' defiantly rang around the ground. At the break, Tuncay's 14th minute goal having offered hope, it was a cheery chorus of the Great Escape theme tune. By the death, after John Carew's strike mid-way through the second half, the bleak situation facing Boro was summed up with Phil Collins and Against All Odds. [LNB] Related ArticlesManchester United v Arsenal: In picturesPremier League tableTelegraph player raterPremier League highlightsHow the title was wonRound-up: Newcastle and Middlesbrough relegation troubles deepenWhat a shame. First led by their captain Stewart Downing, who was stretched off after 20 minutes, then Tuncay, his long hair streaming behind him, arms pumping like pistons, Boro had answered their manager's call for commitment and then some. The fans cheered like billy-oh in recognition of their efforts, and stood out of respect as Downing was carried from the field after bravely trying, in vain, to play through the pain of an ankle injury. [LNB]Martin O'Neill, the Villa manager, had admitted that his side's humbling 3-1 defeat at Fulham last weekend left Boro with 'nothing to fear', and even though the price of defeat (and a point for either Newcastle or Hull) would have meant defeat, home side didn't look scared. [LNB]Nor should they have, especially after Tucay had scored the most sumptuous of goals. The move began as Julio Arca picked up the ball in the centre and poked it to Downing in the 14th minute. Downing's shot took a deflection, ballooning up into the box, and as Nicky Shorey lurched towards it in desperation, Tuncay leapt, uncurling his limbs into a spectacular overhead kick into the far corner. [LNB]But they needed more than that. Villa had tried to pump themselves up before kick-off, Ashley Young high-fiving his way around his team-mates before assuming a position in the pocket – an unusual one for him – but they took an age to warm up. But inexorably they did, and Boro's defensive lapses began to creep in. Young was allowed on a weaving run down the left. It should have set the alarm bells ringing. [LNB]The second half was a different story: Villa's players were certainly the same, but it was a team unrecognisable from the one that had until then been so tepid. In truth, regardless of their first-half showing, they always had the skill to take advantage as Boro legs tired, and no one was surprised when their equaliser came. [LNB]It was a sad, simple affair when it did. Gareth Barry was allowed into the area, and Stiliyan Petrov permitted to chip across goal. Marlon King could have prevented the outcome, but he muffed his clearance straight to Carew, who found himself space to shoot, which he put to good effect, and leaving Southgate to accept: 'It is out of our hands.' [LNB]
