Middlesbrough’s attacking trio take praise from Neil Warnock

Ashley Fletcher and Patrick Roberts combined for the opening goal midway through the first half after Warnock deployed the pair in a front three alongside Britt Assombalonga, who caused plenty of problems for Stoke’s backline in a relegation ‘six-pointer’.

Warnock was delighted with Roberts’s contributions before he was replaced just after the hour by Marcus Tavernier, who claimed Boro’s second goal at the Bet365 Stadium.

“I love exciting players like him. I could have gave him a bit of a rollicking, if I am honest, there were a couple of times he could have put people in,” said Warnock.

“But, when you are a wide player, as long as you do it in the right areas and not in your own half. I thought the front three did well. Your defending starts with your front three and if I was a defender I wouldn’t want to defend against them.”

It was confirmed before kick-off that Daniel Ayala and Rudy Gestede had both left the club before the expiration of their contracts on Tuesday. Warnock revealed how he had asked Gestede to sign a short-term extension but the striker was not willing to commit.

“I asked Rudy to stay and he said he wasn’t prepared to do that,” added Warnock.

“So I told him he may as well go home now, so I sent him off on Thursday. There was no point doing anything else.”

Stoke City: Butland; Smith, Batth, Chester, Martins Indi (Vokes 58); Sorensen (Ince 41), Thompson (Cousins 58); McClean, Powell, Clucas; Campbell (Gregory 79). Unused substitutes: Ward, Davies, Oakley-Boothe, Tymon, Collins. 

Middlesbrough: Stojanovic; Johnson, Friend, Fry, Spence; Saville (Shotton 81), Howson, McNair (Wing 64); Assombalonga, Fletcher, Roberts (Tavernier 61). Unused substitutes: Clayton, Morrison, Moukoudi, Nmecha, Wood-Gordon, Pears.

Referee: M Donohue (Sale).

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