Middlesbrough ace continues to defy critics after unreal display vs West Brom, he’s key for Rob Edwards

Add as preferred source on Google

Middlesbrough recorded a crucial 2-1 win over West Brom on Friday night to stay top of the Championship table, and we saw one player put in another incredible performance to prove his worth.

Goals from new signings Kaly Sene and David Strelec earned the three points for Middlesbrough in a tough test at the Riverside.

Fellow promotion hopefuls West Brom bagged a late goal through their own star forward, Aune Heggebo. However, it wasn’t enough to derail Rob Edwards’ amazing start to the season with Boro.

Pre-season predictions had Edwards down for a disappointing Championship campaign, but he and his Boro stars are proving everyone wrong. None more so than Luke Ayling.

• READ MORE: Steve Gibson saluted for dealing with £121m Middlesbrough drop-off

Luke Ayling was outstanding vs West Brom

34-year-old Luke Ayling is not normally the kind of player you expect to influence a game. A solid full-back, sure, but he’s rarely been anything more than that.

Against West Brom, however, the veteran defender put in an absolute masterclass. Fans were delighted with Strelec’s first goal for the club, but it was Ayling’s clever flick-on that created the opportunity for the Slovakian forward.

In terms of progressive contributions, Ayling not only bagged an assist, but also registered a whopping 89% pass success rate and had one shot himself.

On top of that, Ayling excelled in his defensive duties. He made three clearances, blocked two shots, registered two vital interceptions and put in three tackles.

Ayling also won three of his four ground duels and two of his three aerial duels. He was not dribbled past once during the 90 minutes.

For a player who has never been regarded as a wing-back, an impervious defensive performance and an assist is not a bad Friday night at all.

• READ MORE: Rob Edwards explains shock David Strelec substitution at half-time in Middlesbrough vs West Brom

Everyone believed Luke Ayling’s Middlesbrough career was over

We know Rob Edwards and his penchant for a 3-4-2-1 formation is a massive shift in shape for Boro. Under Michael Carrick, the Teessiders played four at the back. This drastic change to a wing-back system was expected to spell the end for Ayling’s career at the Riverside.

Boro fans wanted Ayling to leave in the summer. Indeed, Middlesbrough were linked with plenty of wing-backs who would replace Ayling in the transfer window. However, the experienced defender stayed put, and is looking better than ever.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	6	5	1	0	11	4	7	16
2	Stoke CityStoke City	5	4	0	1	9	3	6	12
3	Bristol CityBristol City	5	3	2	0	12	4	8	11
4	LeicesterLeicester	5	3	1	1	8	5	3	10
5	West BromWest Brom	6	3	1	2	7	6	1	10
6	CoventryCoventry	5	2	3	0	15	7	8	9

His resurgence and adaptation to Edwards’ style of play has been symbolic of Boro’s impressive start to the season. This should have been a difficult transition period for everyone involved, but everyone from top to bottom has dug deep and hit the ground running.

Boro remain top of the Championship table and will stay there for the entire weekend. Early pace-setters like Boro don’t usually win promotion, but with the way they’re playing right now, it’s hard to imagine them failing in their quest to return to the top flight.