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Middlesbrough needed to bold at Nottingham Forest. They needed to take the game to a side whose season’s over and whose manager is under pressure.

They needed to start on the front foot, to show ambition, to be confident in their own ability, to grasp the opportunity that three wins had afforded them and put one foot in the play-offs.

Boro were none of those things. They started the game sitting far too deep, inviting a Forest team to attack them and build confidence after four defeats on the spin.

And it was no surprise when they fell behind. Tony Pulis made changes but that didn’t improve his team as Forest upped the ante in the second half and, with better finishing and without Darren Randolph’s brilliance would have ran riot.

Yes, Boro are missing four first team players through injury, but they weren’t playing one of the division's top sides, they were taken apart by a Forest team that has nothing but pride at stake.

Perhaps the most damning statistic is Middlesbrough failed to create one decent goalscoring chance.

Here's the story of the game.

Boro unchanged

Tony Pulis hinted in the aftermath of Easter Friday’s 1-0 win over Stoke City that he would probably rotate his players for the trip to Nottingham due to tired limbs.

He ended up, however, naming the same starting XI at the City Ground and, for that matter, the same bench.

He did have the option of freshening up the attacking departments with Stewart Downing, Jordan Hugill and Marcus Tavernier all available if required.

In the end, those three retained their role as subs, as did young defenders Djed Spence and Nathan Wood.

Pulis stuck with a 5-1-2-2 formation. His defence that featured wing-backs Jonny Howson and George Saville either side of central defenders Paddy McNair, Aden Flint and Ryan Shotton.

Skipper John Obi Mikel once again operated in the holding role in front of the defence and behind ‘attacking’ midfielders Adam Clayton and Mo Besic.

Up front Ashley Fletcher partnered Britt Assombalonga, who scored two goals apiece in the three fixtures prior to the Forest game.

Martin O’Neill, needing to end a run of four successive defeats, made five changes from the side beaten 2-0 at Sheffield United.

His bench included striker Lewis Grabban and former Boro midfielder Adlene Guedioura.

Boro sit deep

The game got underway in the unseasonably hot weather that’s been a constant feature of the 2019 Easter programme.

Boro were attacking the Trent End wearing their navy blue away shirts and shorts and backed by a noisy contingent of fans in the Bridgeford Stand.

Forest soon settled into a 3-4-2-1 formation, presumably in a bid to counteract Boro’s system.

The end result was two teams struggling to create openings in the final third in a tight, tense opening 10 minutes.

The visitors started off rather tentatively with Clayton and Besic virtually level with Mikel just in front of the defence.

As a result the two strikers were left exposed and saw little of the ball.

The first shot on target came in the 16th minute when Matty Cash picked up the ball on the edge of the box then advanced but, with options available, decided to shoot and his low, angled effort was comfortably saved by Darren Randolph.

There were appeals for punishment from the home fans for what looked a late tackle on Joe Lolley near the right touchline by Besic but the referee wasn’t interested.

Both sets of fans were in decent voice at the start of the game but by the time the half hour mark was reached the atmosphere was pretty subdued.

Forest take the lead

Boro did finally have an attempt on goal in the 32nd minute when Besic fired a long-range shot high over Costel Pantilimon’s crossbar.

The visitors then won a left-wing corner which Clayton, with plenty of height waiting in the box, opted to play short to Besic who shuffled his way to the by-line but his low cross was collected at the near post by the keeper.

In the 36th minute Karim Ansarifard had a decent-looking shot on the turn deflected behind.

Then, two minutes later, the Forest striker was clean through on goal with Randolph to beat after collecting a Ben Osborn pass but before he could shoot he was tripped by Shotton.

It looked like a clear red card offence but, much to the annoyance of O’Neill, referee Peter Bankes settled for a yellow.

It was still a penalty though and Lolley blasted the spot-kick home in the 39th minute.

Boro did create one more chance before the break with Saville sending over a stoppage time free-kick from the left but Flint headed over the bar.

Two changes for Boro

Clearly unhappy with what he’d seen from his side in the first period, Pulis made two changes at half-time.

Fletcher and Besic were the two players to make way for Tavernier and Hugill.

The system stayed pretty much the same, though, with Hugill joining Assombalonga in attack and Tavernier playing on the right of the midfield trio.

But it was Forest who created the first genuine opening of the half in the 50th minute with Joao Carvalho whipping in a lethal left-footed cross which Ansarifard met with a first-time shot from just six yards out but Randolph pulled off a simply stunning reaction save.

Forest turn the screw

But the Ireland international couldn’t do anything about Forest’s second in the 65th minute. Boro were caught napping as the hosts took a quick free-kick, working the ball to Carvalho who chipped a teasing cross to the far side of the box from the left where the unmarked Milosevic drilled home a superb half-volley.

Pulis already had Downing ready to come on and the former England international replaced Saville seconds after the goal.

Forest came within a whisker of scoring a third in the 67th minute when Grabban charged forward from halfway before shooting from the edge of the box but Flint managed to deflected the ball behind with an out-stretched foot.

Two minutes later Randolph made another timely stop to keep out a powerful Grabban drive.

And, in the 72nd minute, the Boro keeper did well to block Osborn’s shot after the Forest midfielder picked up the ball in space on the left side of the box.

Forest kept pushing and Carvalho hit a lovely in-swinging effort from the left with his right foot which curled around Randolph but hit the inside of the post and bounced out in the 79th minute.

But the third game came in the 84th minute with Carvalho drilling a low cross into the box from the left and Lolley fired home ruthlessly.

Nottingham Forest (3-3-2-1): Pantilimon; Wague, Milosevic, captain - Robinson; Cash, Yates, Pele Yacob 84), Osborn; Lolley, Carvalho (Guedioura 88); Ansarifard (Grabban 62).

Subs: Steele, Murphy, Janko, Appiah

Middlesbrough (5-1-2-2): Randolph; Howson, McNair, Flint, Shotton, Saville (Downing 65); captain – Mikel; Clayton, Besic (Tavernier 46); Fletcher (Hugill 46), Assombalonga.

Subs: Konstantopoulos, Spence, Wood, Gestede

Attendence: 27,653 (1,449 visiting supporters)