Middlesbrough crest
Middlesbrough

FT
0 - 3
Premier League
19:45 Wed 14th Dec 2016
Location: Riverside Stadium
Liverpool FC crest
Liverpool FC

Lallana (29, 68)
Origi (60)

19:45 Wed 14th Dec 2016
19:45 Wed 14th Dec 2016 Riverside Stadium

Middlesbrough v Liverpool: Live matchday blog

Liverpool returned to winning ways with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium, thanks to an Adam Lallana brace and a strike from Divock Origi.

The manager's view

Here's a transcript of Jürgen Klopp's post-match press conference, where he reflected on the win, the decision to bring in Simon Mignolet and also offer an update on the knock Divock Origi sustained towards the end of the game. Click here to read it.

Klopp reveals Divock Origi has a "knock and a little bit of pain" but he doesn't think it's too serious.

Klopp: "The third goal, the passing, Sadio's way, Divock's run, Adam's positioning - it's perfect. It looks easy but it isn't."

Klopp: "Traore is quite quick actually so that's difficult because he could change the whole game. When the ball is there we can't leave Milner alone. His quality is so high that you need four players to take him out of the game."

Klopp: "LFC is a long-term project in this moment, we really want to improve the club even though we want to be successful as soon as possible. I know how strong Loris Karius is, unfortunately he couldn't show in the last one, two, three games. There's no reason to push him through this situation, especially when you have a goalkeeper like Simon Mignolet."

Jürgen Klopp is here!

He says: "We had things we had to do better in the second half and you can see how the boys took the information and used it."

Here's the story of Liverpool's 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium tonight in stats and Opta widgets...

Full Time

Back to winning ways

Liverpool claim a comprehensive and fully deserved 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Adam Lallana headed them into a first-half lead before he and Divock Origi further added to the Reds' tally in the second period.

A good night's work for Jürgen Klopp's men.

91

Substitution

Liverpool make a change and Trent Alexander-Arnold comes on in place of Divock Origi.

The youngster had been stood on the touchline for a few moments waiting to come on anyway, but that knock to the Belgian probably changed who was originally going to make way.

90

Divock Origi has gone down off the ball here and needs treatment.

Meanwhile, the fourth official indicates three minutes will be added on.

87

Substitution

Liverpool's second change sees Georginio Wijnaldum replaced by Ovie Ejaria.

82

Substitution

Liverpool make their first change of the night and Adam Lallana is wirthdrawn to a brilliant reception from the visiting fans. He's replaced by Lucas Leiva for the final moments here

77

Substitution

Boro's last change - Negredo off, Rhodes on.

68

GOAL! ADAM LALLANA!

Liverpool have a third goal here and Lallana claims his second of the evening.

Again, it's free-flowing football that cuts Boro apart. This time Origi picks up the ball just inside the box on the right after Mane was tripped. The Belgium forward turns provider, squaring across goal for Lallana to slam in at the back post with his left foot.

60

GOAL! DIVOCK ORIGI!

Wow. Amazing team goal from the Reds there.

A fluid move down the right involving Mane, Firmino and Wijnaldum results in Lallana picking up the ball in the right channel of the area and turning it into Origi's path. He does the rest, dispatching it beyond Valdes from close range.

Five in five for the striker now but, more importantly, Liverpool lead 2-0.

56

Substitution

Double Boro change here as Fischer and Clayton are replaced by Downing and Leadbitter.

54

Again Liverpool pour forward and Firmino is released down the right by Clyne's pass. He delivers for Mane, whose shot on the turn strikes Chambers. He wants a penalty for handball, but play continues.

54

Liverpool are in complete control at the moment - Lallana just overhits a pass into Origi's path by a touch, otherwise he would have been clean through.

49

Another half-chance as Wijnaldum cuts out an attempted pass forward and plays it wide to Mane. His cross picks out Firmino, but he can't guide his header on target.

47

Liverpool threaten again as Firmino heads Origi's cross down for Mane, but his attempt at goal is again blocked by a defender.

The Reds have started this second half strongly here.

46

Mane speeds into the area from Lovren's long ball forward, but his eventual shot is blocked by Gibson.

Kick-Off

SECOND HALF

Liverpool get the game back underway at the Riverside.

Match shot

Odds on?

Here's how the half-time odds look, courtesy of BETVICTOR.

Middlesbrough: 17/1
Draw: 19/4
Liverpool: 1/5

Fancy a flutter? Place your bets with BETVICTOR here.

Here's the story of the first half, statistically speaking...

Half Time

The Reds hold a one-goal lead at the break thanks to Adam Lallana's 29th-minute header in what's been a hard-fought contest so far with Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

Sadio Mane also struck the post for the visitors just before the break.

43

CLOSE!

Liverpool are inches away from a second goal as Origi's pass sends Mane speeding into the area beyond Gibson. He shoots low across Valdes, but the ball comes back off the base of the post.

The rebound comes back to Origi at an awkward angle, and he strikes into the side netting.

39

Boro break down the right with the speed for Traore. He crosses low for Forshaw, but Lallana is back to block his goal-bound drive.

36

Get in, Adam!

31

Mignolet ensures Liverpool remain in the lead. Fischer tries to decieve him by striking towards the near post when he looked set to cross, but the 'keeper pulls off a smart stop.

29

Goal

GOAL! ADAM LALLANA!

Liverpool take the lead at the Riverside - and the opener comes via the head of Lallana.

A lovely move ends up with the ball at Mane's feet. He sweeps it wide right to Clyne, who takes a touch before swinging a cross towards the back post, where Lallana comes rushing in and nods powerfully home. Great stuff.

27

Liverpool win the ball back from Traore inside Boro's box but Wijnaldum, Origi nor Mane can get a shot away under pressure and the chance is gone.

24

Match shot

23

A chance for Boro as Gibson's header from a free-kick from the left requires Mignolet to make a low stop just in front of the goal line.

18

The game's first shot on target is recorded as Fabio takes aim from range, but it's an easy take for Mignolet.

17

Follow the action as it unfolds using our Opta Chalkboard below...

14

LISTEN LIVE

Remember, tonight's game is not on TV, but you can listen to it live and for free by clicking here.

7

Lallana cuts in from the right and shoots towards goal with his left foot from 20 yards, but it cannons against Chambers and the danger is gone for the hosts.

6

Blast from the past from the visiting Liverpool fans inside the Riverside; the old 'We've got the best midfield in the world...' chant is getting an airing.

4

Corner

Now the Reds have a corner. Good, bright start to the game here.

1

Corner

Boro win a corner inside the opening 60 seconds...cleared away by Lallana at the near post.

0

Kick-Off

We're underway: Middlesbrough kick the game off. Come on you Reds!

Pre-match

The teams are out here at the Riverside Stadium and kick-off is just moments away...

Pre-match

Behind the closed doors

Here's a peek inside the LFC dressing room at the Riverside Stadium tonight...

Pre-match

Don't forget, you can listen to free live commentary on the game online - click here to access the most passionate LFC commentary around.

Pre-match

Joe Gomez is not part of the matchday squad tonight but the defender is at the Riverside Stadium to watch his colleagues in action. He played 45 minutes for the U23s against Arsenal earlier this week.

Pre-match

Liverpool team in full: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Klavan, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Mane, Firmino, Origi.

Substitutes: Karius, Lucas, Moreno, Stewart, Alexander-Arnold, Ejaria, Woodburn.

Pre-match

TEAM NEWS

Simon Mignolet and Ragnar Klavan come into the Liverpool team to face Middlesbrough this evening, replacing Loris Karius and Joel Matip from the side that started against West Ham United.

Pre-match

More stadium shots...

Pre-match

Familiar faces

Middlesbrough have three ex-Liverpool men in their squad – Antonio Barragan, Stewart Downing and Daniel Ayala.

The first of that trio, Barragan, has been reflecting on his Anfield experience in the official matchday programme for this evening’s game.

The Spanish defender made one senior appearance for the club during the 2005-06 season as a substitute away against CSKA Sofia in a Champions League qualifier, before he went on to join Deportivo La Coruna the following summer.

“It was only one year I spent there, so it was short-lived. But Liverpool is a great club and I felt lucky to be there with players like Morientes, Pepe Reina and Steven Gerrard. I’ve always tried to replicate Gerrard. He’s a true inspiration, his personality and the qualities he brings to a football club. I went to Liverpool with the best intentions, but I was young and of course I missed my friends and family. I didn’t play much but it was a great experience for me.”

Pre-match

Weather

CONDITIONS UPDATE

So, as alluded to below, it's a pleasantly mild night here on Teeside - temperatures are around eight degrees with a very mild breeze. Coats will be needed, but you can probably leave the thermals at home.

Pre-match

Current scene

The Riverside Stadium is just applying the final touches ahead of Liverpool's visit this evening. It's a mild night here on Teeside, but more on that shortly...

Pre-match

The Reds actually met Boro on this day 20 years ago and we certainly wouldn't mind a repeat of the result on that occasion.

Robbie Fowler helped himself to four - yep, FOUR - goals as Roy Evans' side claimed a handsome 5-1 victory over their visitors at Anfield.

Pre-match

It is a full Premier League programme this midweek as the frantic festive fixture list properly begins. Here are the other games happening around the country tonight...

Pre-match

So, what happened last time Liverpool faced Middlesbrough?

There were 30 penalties, that's what. At the end of an epic League Cup tie at Anfield back in September 2014. Relive the tension of that night with the full shootout below...

Pre-match

The view from the Riverside

So, we've heard what Jürgen Klopp and Sadio Mane think about tonight's match - but what about the view from the opposition?

We asked Boro fan Luke Parkinson to give us the lowdown on Aitor Karanka's team. Find out what he thinks here.

Pre-match

Fancy a flutter?

Here are the latest odds on tonight's match from LFC's official betting partner, Bet Victor:

Middlesbrough 5/1
Draw 29/10
Liverpool 4/6

Like those odds? To place a wager with Bet Victor, click here

Pre-match

Weather

It's the post you've all been waiting for...

It's Liverpoolfc.com's first weather update of the day!

Kick-off at the Riverside Stadium is now just five hours away - so if you're making your way to the game, you might like to know that the forecast is for an unseasonably mild evening on Teesside.

It's expected to be around eight degrees and dry at 7.45pm GMT. While that's not exactly warm, it's not bad at all for a December evening in the north east!

Pre-match

Fancy a look behind the scenes of Liverpool's game against West Ham last Sunday?

Well, LFCTV GO's got you covered! Click play on the video below for some exclusive footage from 'Inside Anfield'...

Pre-match

Stats amazing!

What should we expect from tonight's game, then? 

Click here to find out what the pre-match stats tell us!

Pre-match

Lovren: Let's listen to the boss and keep going

One point from their last two Premier League games is not the kind of form Liverpool have become accustomed to this season - but Dejan Lovren says the Reds must listen to the advice given by Jürgen Klopp and move on.

"We showed in training sessions that everybody is hungry to get back to the top," said the No.6.

Pre-match

Sadio: I'm expecting to bounce back at Boro

We spoke to Sadio Mane at Melwood earlier this week, and the Liverpool forward was in a confident mood ahead of tonight's trip to Teesside.

“What I’m expecting now is to go there and win the game. For us that’s the most important thing and we’ll try our best to do it,” he told us.

Read more from Sadio here

Pre-match

The boss' thoughts

Jürgen Klopp addressed a number of issues during his pre-Middlesbrough press conference on Monday afternoon - and you can read all about them below.

The Liverpool manager offered an injury update, his views on his team's defending and an assessment of tonight's opponents.

Pre-match

Hello and welcome to Liverpoolfc.com's live matchday blog.

The Reds take on Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium tonight, and we'll bring you all the build-up, action and reaction to the Premier League fixture right here. 

Why not start your afternoon by perusing both teams' stats for the season so far with the Opta widgets embedded below?

2016-17 2016-17