Cardiff City 0 Middlesbrough 1: Pressure builds on Solskjaer after Kike’s fast start

The Spaniard’s early strike was the only goal of a game that ended with the home team being booed off. A second home loss in the space of four days has left early promotion favourites Cardiff wallowing in 17th while Boro moved up to eighth.

The manner of the loss also failed to relieve the pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Cardiff manager rang the changes yet that still could not prevent Middlesbrough taking the lead inside two minutes.

Daniel Ayala was booked for a lunging tackle on Adeyemi, but from Peter Whittingham’s free-kick, Middlesbrough surged forward to score.

Albert Adomah sped down the right before crossing for Kike to finish right-footed from close range for his fourth of the season.

Middlesbrough threatened every time they entered Cardiff’s half, winning four corners inside the first 30 minutes alone.

Cardiff centre-back Cala was booked as the hosts’ defending became more desperate while Anthony Pilkington’s wild shot from 30 metres out was as good as it got.

Cardiff’s inability to either break down the visitors or prevent the likes of Adomah surging forward prompted a drastic midfield reshuffle to a diamond formation before the break. But it still took a last-ditch tackle by Ecuel Manga to deny Jelle Vossen after Matthew Connolly was horribly caught out by a simple long ball.

Marshall had to make the first telling save of the second half, pushing Adam Clayton’s shot wide. Cardiff struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to muster any sustained pressure and Boro rarely appeared stretched.

Kenwyne Jones offered a physical presence up front but was a lone threat though and was ruled offside from Aron Gunnarsson’s pin-point cross.

Yet Middlesbrough repeatedly caught Cardiff on the break and only the quick thinking of Marshall snuffed out another chance for Clayton.

Solskjaer threw on Javi Guerra and Adam Le Fondre in search of an equaliser but fell well short.

Cardiff: Marshall, Brayford, Ecuele Manga, Connolly, Cala, Pilkington (Guerra 73), Daehli (Le Fondre 58), Whittingham, Adeyemi, Jones, Macheda (Gunnarsson 46). Unused substitutes: Eikrem, Burgstaller, Moore, Gabbidon.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Damia (Nsue 64), Ayala, Omeruo, Friend, Adomah, Clayton, Leadbitter, Reach, Garcia (Bamford 87), Vossen (Tomlin 67). Unused substitutes: Blackman, Gibson, Whitehead, Wildschut.

Referee: G Scott (Oxfordshire).