Middlesbrough were simply outclassed by a rampant and fluent Liverpool in what was a disappointing display from the home side. Energy drained from the Teessiders after negative substitutions in the second half as Liverpool coasted to an easy victory. While this is definitely one of the fixtures where a positive result would seem a bit of a reach, it was disenchanting that Boro didn't even have a go at their opponents.
Positives
There was little to pull out in terms of positivity in a performance where Boro never really came out of the blocks or took the game to Liverpool.