Karanka has no defence as Deeney and Ighalo run riot
ANOTHER day, another baton change, another away defeat for Middlesbrough. Aitor Karanka would surely have made his defenders walk home from Watford were it not for the probability they would spend most of the journey travelling in circles. This was that kind of game, a top-of-the-table occasion when Middlesbrough needed to deliver but ultimately failed on every scale. What a cruel time for the Championship’s best defence to explode at the seams. They gifted Troy Deeney his 20th goal of the season and contributed significantly to Odion Ighalo scoring his 19th in the second half. The Championship lead which Boro held at the start of play quickly became Watford’s — though only for 75 minutes. Norwich went top with first-half goals in their 3pm kick-off against Sheffield Wednesday, before Bournemouth hit back to beat Birmingham and reclaim first place. ‘The players are completely destroyed but I am very proud of them,’ said Boro boss Karanka. ‘We have players who have come from League One and other teams in the Championship, a lot of young players, and we are fighting with the best teams in the league. No-one could have expected this.’ Their misery has been Watford’s gain. What a luxury to have two strikers as effective as Deeney and Ighalo. They were, as Karanka said, ‘the difference’. Deeney became the only player in Watford’s history to score 20 goals in three consecutive campaigns. ‘He’s a Premier League player,’ said Watford manager Slavisa Jokanovic. ‘It’s just a question of whether we are all together as a Premier League team.’