Michael Carrick was delighted to see his striker Emmanuel Latte Lath get off the mark on the opening day of the Championship season as Middlesbrough beat Swansea 1-0 at the Riverside.
The Ivorian scored nine in his last eight league outings last season to finish an impressive first campaign on Teesside with 17 goals.
And on Saturday he became the first Boro player since Brian Clough to score in seven consecutive league games after striking from the spot to beat the Swans.
The 25-year-old slammed home his penalty after the impressive Isaiah Jones was fouled by Azeem Abdulai inside the box after 25 minutes.
Boro head coach Carrick said: “It’s pretty obvious to say how important Manu is for us.
“Manu has done a lot for us over a period of time now since he really got fit. For strikers it’s important to score, it’s a good feeling.
“We’ve shared them out pre-season, I’m sure the boys are all looking to chip in and help each other score goals. Certainly for Manu it’s a good start.”
The victory brought to an end Boro’s 10-year wait for an opening day win.
Carrick said: “I didn’t try to make too much of a big deal about that, but it’s something to shake off.
“I’m delighted. I knew it was going to be a hard game. They’re a good team and make you work for it.
“I’m really pleased. I thought the discipline and the attitude of the players to stick to the plan and not get frustrated and cut off certain spaces was excellent. The amount of chances we had, we could have made it a lot easier for ourselves.
“I said it wasn’t going to be perfect but we defended incredibly well as a team, protected the goal and box unbelievably well towards the end. All round, really good, I’m really happy.”
Although they improved in the second half, Swansea did not manage a single shot on target at the Riverside and boss Luke Williams was furious with his side’s showing in the first period.
He said: “We started wrong, we started really very anxious and with too many unforced errors. The penalty is a reflection of that.
“We were too anxious inside the box, trying to make a tackle when you don’t need to make a tackle. That summed up the first 20 minutes.
“I’m not sure why that was the case. It’s a tough place to come. The crowd were excited and made a lot of noise and it’s a really good team and we struggled to cope with that.
“We gave the opposition so many breaks in the game with loose passes and unnecessary fouls and they jumped all over that. They were good value for the win.”
Interim boss Stephen Frail expects Motherwell to appoint a new manager next week and admits their first job will be to lift the players’ confidence after a 3-0 mauling at home to Ross County.A double from Ronan Hale and Connor Randall’s last-minute strike secured an impressive victory for the Staggies at Fir Park.Defeat sees the Steelmen drop into the bottom half of the Premiership tab...
Mark Hughes heaped praise on goalkeeper Gabe Breeze after Carlisle picked up a vital point in the League Two relegation battle with a goalless draw against in-form Colchester at Brunton Park.Breeze made two excellent saves from Lyle Taylor as the Cumbrians ended a four-game losing run and the former Man City boss was astounded by the 21-year-old’s performance.He said: “The game had som...
Chesterfield boss Paul Cook launched a scathing attack on his play-off hopefuls after they surrendered an early lead to lose 3-1 at Sky Bet League Two table-toppers Walsall.The Spireites enjoyed a rapid start when Jamie Grimes’ eighth-minute header put them ahead against a wobbling Walsall side, who were winless in five matches with the chasing pack closing in.However, Bim Pepple and Dylan D...
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has allayed fears of an injury scare to top scorer Erling Haaland ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.Haaland went down clutching his leg in the latter stages of the champions’ 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and was immediately substituted.Losing the Norwegian would be a major blow to ...
Rotherham manager Steve Evans described Thomas Parsons’ performance as “atrocious” after the referee awarded a stoppage-time penalty from which Reading snatched a 2-1 victory in League One.Reading had led 1-0 at half-time through top scorer Harvey Knibbs but Sam Nombe levelled for Rotherham from a spot-kick in the 57th minute.With the game heading for a draw, Parsons adjudged Mil...
Michael Flynn believes his team can make a charge towards the League Two play-offs places after watching them come from 2-0 down to beat Barrow 3-2 at home.Matty Taylor scored twice before fellow substitute Ashley Hay hit the winner as the Robins continued their perfect home record in 2025.Cheltenham climbed to 13th in the table and sit eight points off seventh-placed Crewe with two games in hand....
Birmingham manager Chris Davies praised Jay Stansfield’s work ethic after he lit up St Andrew’s with the only goal of a 1-0 win to sink play-off chasing Charlton.Stansfield’s 23rd-minute strike stretched City’s lead to nine points ahead of second-placed Wycombe, with Blues boasting a game in hand.Victory was City’s 30th in all competitions as they extended their unbea...
Andoni Iraola refused to get carried away after Bournemouth fans were left dreaming of a potential Champions League adventure following a first league double over south-coast rivals Southampton.Travelling Cherries fans chanted of playing in European football’s premier competition next season after their side soared to fifth spot in the Premier League table thanks to a deserved 3-1 success at...
Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup praised his side for fighting back to draw 1-1 at Hull after he demanded “I want to see my football team back”.The Norwich boss had some tough words for his team as they trailed 1-0 at half-time to the relegation-threatened side, including for Kellen Fisher – but the player then delivered the assist for Josh Sargent’s equaliser.The Un...
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says Jota has a chance of starting against Bayern Munich after scoring and impressing in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United.Jota earned the club’s man-of-the-match award after cutting in from the left and curling home from 18 yards to double the lead given to the hosts by another impressive finish from Callum McGregor.The Portuguese winger has now started two gam...
