Big-match verdict: Carlos Carvalhal absolves Joe Wildsmith as Aitor Karanka praises 10-man Boro's '˜attitude and mentality'

HEAD COACH Carlos Carvalhal refused to rebuke young goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith for his key error in Sheffield Wednesday's 3-0 FA Cup third-round exit at Middlesbrough yesterday.
Middlesbroughs Alvaro Negredo, second right, is congratulated by team-mates after scoring their second goal in a 3-0 FA Cup third round triumph at home to Sheffield Wednesday (Picture: Simon Cooper/PA Wire).Middlesbroughs Alvaro Negredo, second right, is congratulated by team-mates after scoring their second goal in a 3-0 FA Cup third round triumph at home to Sheffield Wednesday (Picture: Simon Cooper/PA Wire).
Middlesbroughs Alvaro Negredo, second right, is congratulated by team-mates after scoring their second goal in a 3-0 FA Cup third round triumph at home to Sheffield Wednesday (Picture: Simon Cooper/PA Wire).

Wildsmith, making just his second start of the season, had a calamitous moment on 67 minutes when his tardy clearance was charged down by Boro striker Alvaro Negredo to gift the Teessiders a second goal en route to a comfortable victory.

But Carvalhal preferred not to dwell on that unfortunate moment during what ultimately proved a forgettable afternoon against a Boro side who played the final half-hour with 10 men following Dani Ayala’s dismissal, but still managed to score three unanswered goals

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On Wildsmith’s faux pas, Carvalhal said: “I do not want to talk too much about this.

“This is team work and all of us have responsibility and I never put responsibility on one player because we lost one game. We lose together.”

Adamant that he was happy enough with his side’s overall performance, despite it taking 83 minutes for the Owls to register their first effort on target, the Portugue added: “We played our game and moved the ball and controlled the game and I am happy with the players, with the way that we played against a Premier League team.

“I am unhappy with the score, of course. But circumstances made us lose this game.

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“We did not lose because we did not try or put our energy in or play our football. We blocked the dynamic of Boro very well and they did not have too many chances in the game.”

Revealing his delight in his side’s strong second-half performance after a low-key first half that had angered him, Boro head coach Aitor Karanka said: “The second half was completely different. I told them at half-time that I thought we were playing a friendly game and, for me, the FA Cup is not a friendly game, but a really important game.

“Sometimes, it is difficult to play a game against a team from a lower division with the right mentality. But we went onto the pitch with the right attitude and mentality and when we lost Dani, we were consistent on the pitch.

“Everyone was committed and fighting for every single ball, which was the main thing for me.”

Match report: Page 3