Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday. The FA Cup Third Round.
Riverside Stadium.
Sunday 8 January 2017 17:51, UK
Middlesbrough overcame the controversial dismissal of Daniel Ayala to ease past Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 and into the FA Cup fourth round.
The home defender was sent off seconds after the hosts went in front through Grant Leadbitter's second goal in three games.
Ayala was shown a straight red card after bringing down Fernando Forestieri, and although TV replays showed a foul had been committed, his consequent punishment still seemed harsh.
Nevertheless, Boro were comfortable, despite the numerical disadvantage, and after Alvaro Negredo gave them breathing space seven minutes from time, Marten de Roon added a third at the death to seal the win.
There was little to separate the teams in a first half which lacked quality and while effort was not in short supply, there was no cutting edge as it remained goalless.
The decline came after the game had begun in promising fashion when Leadbitter saw a second-minute drive blocked by full-back Daniel Pudil.
From there, however, a further 25 minutes elapsed before Ayala spooned a half-volley over when away 'keeper Joe Wildsmith had punched Leadbitter's free-kick weakly in his direction.
Middlesbrough tried repeatedly to find a way in through their wide-men Adama Traore and Cristhian Stuani. It was the former who might have prospered 11 minutes before the break after being picked out by Negredo, but Barry Bannan was well placed to block.
Carlos Carvalhal's men emerged with much greater urgency after the break, but it was the home side which took a 58th-minute lead.
De Roon was fouled by Bannan 22 yards out and Leadbitter curled the resulting free-kick expertly into Wildsmith's bottom left corner.
Ayala's removal from the game duly followed and there was tension at the prospect of a Wednesday comeback but it never came.
Instead, Negredo blocked Wildsmith's attempted clearance and saw the ball ricochet into the net to make it 2-0 and all but ensure his side's progression.
De Roon completed the job in stoppage time with an emphatic left-foot finish to ensure a miserable end to an uninspiring afternoon for the Championship visitors.
