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.”
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