Sadly Eze is nowhere near competitive enough to risk in a tough, scrappy match mostly contested in midfield. He would simply be brushed aside.

Eze is the sort of player to be brought on when you’re winning 4-0 and the match has only two minutes left.

You might be right!

To be fair though, of what I've seen, Boro have been very good.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

IIRC we even had a bit of trouble with Liverpool

Harsh and in the main incorrect. The advantage of being a top player is that tacklers don’t get anywhere near you and if they do they are either booked or off. Eze has the ability to make average players look useless. I am hoping he is being eased back very slowly but I fear PV sees him more as cash cow for money to improve the team this summer. I hope I’m wrong because he has a unique ability that only a few in the world have.

Depressing game to watch, but it feels good to have some luck for a change. Perhaps we simply allowed the conditions to dampen our energy.

I'd love to know what PV's thinking was, from start to end, but for now I'll just shake my head and be grateful.

I agree with that. Balance was wrong tonight especially first half with Olise seeming to play a free role which just made our midfield of Hughes and Kouyate to weak on their own? Wilf played to central which meant our new left back had no support and had to pass back to often. It got better with the midfield stronger in the 2nd half with Gallagher alongside two other midfielders. Think if PV had stuck with the 11 that beat Watford for the Burnley and tonight’s match we would have won both matches and easier tonight for sure. Perhaps small changes like resting Macca tonight was all that was needed. Oh well, at least we are through but I do think PV tries to be to clever sometimes?