Match ends, Middlesbrough 0, Swansea City 3.
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough0SwanseaSwansea City3
Swansea City impressed as the Championship resumed as a powerful display at the Riverside earned them a 3-0 win over a poor Middlesbrough.
Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster scored twice in the opening 30 minutes and Andre Ayew added a penalty as the Swans tore into the hosts.
Aldo Kalulu's wild lunge earned a yellow card on the stroke of half-time with the Swans lucky it was not red.
Middlesbrough were more competitive after the break but Swansea held firm.
Steve Cooper's side, who started the season so well, ended the day a point off the play-offs after looking buoyed by the long break and utterly dominated the first half at the Riverside.
They hit the woodwork twice before they opened the scoring, with Kalulu clipping the post after racing clear from George Friend's slip after only six minutes.
They were even closer when Conor Gallagher headed Ayew's cross across goal on 15 minutes, but Brewster could only hit the post from an acute angle.
Ayew was causing Jonathan Woodgate's side all sorts of problems and his powerful run produced the opener on 18 minutes as he picked out a perfect cross for Brewster, who slotted home through the legs of goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic.
That lead was doubled three minutes later as Brewster volleyed into the net via the ground after Kalulu's cross, a fine finish to complete a sweeping Swans attack.
Steve Cooper's side were rampant and when Friend clipped Gallagher in the box on 32 minutes, Ayew calmly dispatched the penalty to make it 3-0 and cap a brilliant individual display.
A superb first half performance by the Swans was only tarnished by Kalulu's wild, head-high lunge on Hayden Coulson, which saw him receive just a yellow card, though it could easily have been red.
Friend headed wide for the hosts, but they looked second best and it was no surprise that Woodgate opted to make a double change at the break, introducing Patrick Roberts and Djed Spence for Ryan Shotton and Adam Clayton.
The second half was a far more even contest of few chances, with the home substitutes impressing, but Swansea were easily able to hold firm and set a marker down to the other sides chasing a Championship play-off berth.
They almost added a fourth in injury time, but George Byers' effort from 25-yards crashed back off the post with subs Jordan Garrick and Bersant Celina just unable to turn home the rebound.
Middlesbrough manager Jonathan Woodgate BBC Radio Tees Sport:
"We were very poor and got caught too easily.
"Swansea have some excellent players and we just couldn't live with them.
"It is not nice to see that kind of performance and it wasn't good enough.
"There were no signs on the training ground of that performance coming. It isn't good enough, it is concerning and now we've got a week to put it right."
Swansea manager Steve Cooper told BBC Radio Wales Sport:
"To win 3-0 away from home is a fantastic result at anytime in the season, never mind after however many months without playing.
"We deserved the clean sheet and could have scored a fourth as well.
"It's a fantastic result and a great re-start for us. It is important to enjoy victories like this.
"It was a real team performance."
Line-ups
Middlesbrough
Formation 4-3-3
- 30Stojanovic
- 16Howson
- 5ShottonSubstituted forRobertsat 45'minutesBooked at 75mins
- 6Fry
- 3Friend
- 17McNair
- 8ClaytonSubstituted forSpenceat 45'minutes
- 26Wing
- 20NmechaBooked at 45minsSubstituted forFletcherat 69'minutes
- 14GestedeSubstituted forAssombalongaat 69'minutes
- 33CoulsonSubstituted forJohnsonat 55'minutes
Substitutes
- 7Tavernier
- 9Assombalonga
- 11Fletcher
- 15Morrison
- 19Roberts
- 21Johnson
- 22Saville
- 29Spence
- 42Pears
Swansea
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 27Woodman
- 23Roberts
- 44Cabango
- 20Wilmot
- 24Bidwell
- 8Grimes
- 6FultonSubstituted forByersat 74'minutes
- 18KaluluBooked at 45minsSubstituted forGarrickat 53'minutes
- 33GallagherSubstituted forDhandaat 81'minutes
- 22A AyewSubstituted forCelinaat 81'minutes
- 19BrewsterSubstituted forRoutledgeat 74'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Guehi
- 10Celina
- 12Dyer
- 15Routledge
- 21Dhanda
- 25Mulder
- 26Naughton
- 28Byers
- 41Garrick
- Referee:
- Tony Harrington
Match Stats
Home TeamMiddlesbroughAway TeamSwansea
- Possession
- Home55%
- Away45%
- Shots
- Home17
- Away13
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away3
- Corners
- Home10
- Away0
- Fouls
- Home15
- Away13
Live Text
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Full Time
Second Half ends, Middlesbrough 0, Swansea City 3.
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Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Ben Cabango.
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Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Freddy Woodman.
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Attempt saved. George Friend (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
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Patrick Roberts (Middlesbrough) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Matt Grimes (Swansea City).
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Attempt missed. Jordan Garrick (Swansea City) left footed shot from very close range misses to the left. Assisted by Bersant Celina.
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Attempt blocked. Bersant Celina (Swansea City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Wayne Routledge.
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George Byers (Swansea City) hits the right post with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Bersant Celina.
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Offside, Swansea City. Connor Roberts tries a through ball, but Jordan Garrick is caught offside.
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Foul by Patrick Roberts (Middlesbrough).
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Yan Dhanda (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Attempt blocked. Bersant Celina (Swansea City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Yan Dhanda.
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Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Ben Wilmot.
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Foul by Patrick Roberts (Middlesbrough).
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Matt Grimes (Swansea City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Corner, Middlesbrough. Conceded by Ben Wilmot.
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Attempt blocked. Patrick Roberts (Middlesbrough) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Britt Assombalonga.
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Attempt blocked. Patrick McNair (Middlesbrough) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ashley Fletcher with a headed pass.