Norwich City 1-2 Middlesbrough: Championship player ratings

George Long

Made a series of saves to keep the scoreline modest, and kept things ticking over in David Wagner's short distribution model.

Not much him or Angus Gunn could have done about either of the goals, although he would have been caught out in the fourth minute had Matt Crooks got his lob right.

Likely to start until Gunn returns the other side of the international break, but there's little he'll be able to do to keep hold of the shirt after the next three games. Nonetheless a good performance in this one. 7

Jack Stacey

Drove forward and offered an attacking threat in combination with Jonathan Rowe in the first half.

His end product dried up in the second period, however, and his defensive work was left wanting on a number of occasions throughout the match.

Appears to be regressing to the mean after a strong start to life at Carrow Road, and must focus on getting the basics right if he's to rediscover the form that endeared supporters to him early on. 5

Shane Duffy

Fairly solid in the air, and made no significant errors in possession.

Could have been more progressive on the ball, however, and did little to close down Samuel Silvera as he fired in the goal that won it for the visitors. One fantastic intervention to bail Gabriel Sara out in the first half, clearing Hayden Hackney's shot on the line.

Nothing he could do to combat the second goal after Dimitris Giannoulis' poor pass exposed his fellow defenders. 7

Ben Gibson

His lack of pace was exposed at times but, similarly to Duffy, made no game-losing errors and struggled more as a result of the structural exposure David Wagner's masterminded.

A key part of how City look to progress the ball from the back, but suffered from a painful lack of available team-mates at times and was left rolling his foot over the ball when space had opened up for him in the middle of the pitch.

Justified his likely selection for Saturday's trip to Sunderland. 6

Dimitris Giannoulis

A nightmare error cost his side despite all the promising work shown on the ball.

Gifted Hayden Hackney possession deep in the Norwich half with few defenders to run at, allowing Sam Greenwood a simple finish to change the game just 34 seconds after the break.

Has been a key technical and tactical part of the limited good things his side have done under Wagner, but consistently undermines his best work with errors at the back. A difficult evening for the Greek. 4

Kenny McLean

Worked hard again but was absent in the key moments and did little as City's soft centre was exposed time and time again by the athletic Teessiders.

A huge portion of the blame is on Wagner for his refusal to bolster a continually weak midfield two, but this wasn't one of the Scots finest displays.

Remains one of the first names on the team sheet at Carrow Road, but was one of many who failed to do enough to win a Championship game. 5

Gabriel Sara

One moment of brilliance to pick out Onel Hernandez in the first half, but again showed the inconsistency that's blighted his Norwich career throughout.

Admittedly needed help from his team-mates, but gave the ball away cheaply for what should have been the opener in the first half, and lacked quality in his creative endeavours. Curled a promising free-kick well over the bar.

Can't be prescribed the solution to the numerous problems this side faces every week, however, and would undoubtedly thrive in one such as Boro's. 5

Jonathan Rowe

The only shining light on a dull and bleak evening for the Norfolk side.

Looked dangerous at every turn, flying beyond defenders with balance and skill without which City may be in genuine relegation trouble.

Fantastic goal that will unfortunately be lost for its role as a consolation. Increasingly the sense that Norwich fans should savour him in the yellow and green while they can. 8

Marcelino Nunez

Showed signs of the brilliance he's clearly capable of if he maximises his potential, but again ultimately flattered to deceive.

Should have done better when he found space on the edge of the box in the first half, as well as when Giannoulis teed him up in the second.

That crashing of the bar was his most notable contribution, although one nice pass out to Stacey showcased his natural ability. 6

Onel Hernandez

A typical Onel Hernandez performance, after showing signs of promise in the second half against Leeds on Saturday.

Went missing when City were in need of creators, and was hooked in favour of Borja Sainz, a likely indicator of what we'll see henceforth. Hard to name a single highlight from the Cuban. 4

Adam Idah

Ran the channels well and held up the ball impressively, as he did on Saturday. No chances to speak of in the slightest, but one disappointing moment when his lay-off was too heavy as Rowe looked for a one-two.

Sounded initially like he was being booed off, but "Idah" chants thereafter signalled that the Barclay were actually unhappy with his replacement by Wagner. 6

SUBSTITUTES

Borja Sainz (on for Hernandez, 67)

Immediately showed what he was about on his home debut, harrying the Boro defence to earn a corner and send the Snakepit into a frenzy.

Beat two defenders and cut in to shoot from range, but didn't but enough action on his shot and it curled well wide. Promising signs, however. 6

Hwang Ui-jo (on for Idah, 67)

Got on the end of two crosses to head wide, but otherwise did little of note. His goalscoring record suggest he should be a decent backup for a mid-table Championship team, but he's not proven that just yet. 5

Christian Fassnacht (on for Nunez, 78)

Still looks a shadow of his former self, and this game continued his inexplicable drop-off. Wagner was looking for the sort of impact he made to score late on at Southampton, but instead he did very little. 5

Przemyslaw Placheta (on for Giannoulis, 78)

By contrast Przemyslaw Placheta was very nearly the creative difference Norwich needed. His pace was the weapon of choice, and he found one of the best crosses of the game to set-up Hwang for one of those missed headers. 7