By Paul Jones
Luke Williams pulled no punches and admitted Swansea City got what they deserved from their Championship opener – nothing.
Opponents Middlesbrough won on the opening day for the first time in a decade as Emmanuel Latte Lath continued his blistering form from last season with the only goal in a 1-0 victory.
Latte Lath scored 17 league goals in his first campaign on Teesside and took just 25 minutes to open his account this term, netting from the spot after Isaiah Jones was fouled inside the box.
The Swans have now lost their last five against Boro and struggled to hurt the hosts at the Riverside, with head coach Williams’ side not managing a single shot on target.
“We started wrong, we started really very anxious and with too many unforced errors,” said Williams.
“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.
New Swansea City signing Lawrence Vigouroux with the skill of the season already. pic.twitter.com/gAXD3PjWhg
— Jordan (@JordanWebber96) July 24, 2024
“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.”
Williams also thanked the more than 500 travelling fans who made the journey to Teesside, with many having departed at 4am on Saturday morning on the official supporter coaches.
“It breaks me when we see them at the end of a game and we have not given them a performance,” he added.
“We did not give them enough excitement and enough for them to cheer.
“We blanked today, and it’s an incredible effort from them and we truly appreciate that.”
Michael Carrick’s promotion hopefuls were first to threaten inside 10 minutes when goalkeeper Seny Dieng set Jones away with a sublime kicked clearance.
Jones beat Swansea goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux in a race to the ball and his ambitious lob from midway inside the opposition half bounced just wide.
EXCLUSIVE NEWS: Kaide Gordon is close to agreeing a loan move to Swansea City. https://t.co/zJMcy2ylzO
— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) August 10, 2024
Jones was sharp and causing problems. He pounced on a mistake from left-back Josh Tymon but saw his cut-back scrambled clear.
And it was the winger who won the penalty that led to the opener as he was fouled by Azeem Abdulai, with Latte Lath making no mistake from the spot.
The Swans offered very little but were gifted a glorious chance to level late in the first half when summer recruit Aidan Morris played Boro into trouble with a blind pass across goal.
Liam Cullen pounced on the loose ball and touched it into the path of fellow forward Abdulai but Dieng came to the rescue with a brave save.
Dangerman Jones almost extended Boro’s advantage on the stroke of half-time, twisting this way and that inside the box before seeing a close-range shot deflect just over the bar.
Latte Lath almost doubled his and Boro’s tally just before the hour mark when he headed just wide from a Riley McGree corner.
The second period was low-key and although Swansea showed more attacking ambition than the first half they struggled to create clear-cut chances.
The gaffer reflects on this afternoon’s defeat Middlesbrough @Westacresltd | #Swans pic.twitter.com/PFwpT2mBLM
— Swansea City AFC (@SwansOfficial) August 10, 2024
They had one 18 minutes from time when they won a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box but Eom Ji-sung failed to hit the target.
Middlesbrough manager Michael 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.
“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.”
