Steve Sidwell is unlikely to forget his first Premier League start in an Aston Villa shirt. Having scored his team's first-half equaliser - his first in front of his home fans - he committed a horrendous late mistake which let Tuncay Sanli in to score his second and condemn Villa to another galling league defeat to accompany the dismal one at Newcastle a week ago.
This was an opportunity missed for a club with lofty ambitions. Before kick-off there was a buzz of excitement around the ground, the fans basking in the afterglow of Thursday's accomplished win at Slavia Prague that put them top of their Uefa Cup group and aware that victory here would lift them into a Champions League place.
Two hours later the buzz had turned to boos as Villa remained fifth, with Arsenal and Manchester United next to face. It is a fixture list that has forced Villa to play seven punishing games in 23 days and there were obvious signs of fatigue. Previously they had taken 10 points from the five league games following Thursday-night Uefa Cup ties but Sidwell's late error was symptomatic of a wider malaise which affected this one-paced performance.
Although the manager, Martin O'Neill, made five changes from the side fielded in the Czech Republic and accommodated the newcomers with a switch from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, they missed the physical presence of their 6ft 5in striker John Carew, who failed a fitness test, more than anyone might have imagined.
One turbo-fuelled burst past Chris Riggott apart, Gabriel Agbonlahor, an ever-present in Villa's league line-up, was relatively subdued without the Norwegian's bulk alongside him. "I think tonight tiredness would sound like an excuse so I'll try to keep that out of the equation," O'Neill said. "Three games in six days is hard, I admit. But the top teams do it. They go and play Champions League and get themselves prepared again for the weekend matches. We've been at the Uefa Cup since July but this is where we want to be and we have to try and cope with that."
Middlesbrough are a club that know well the side-effects of a Uefa Cup run, having finished 14th in the league on their 2005-06 journey to the final. Now they sit a creditable eighth, improving in Gareth Southgate's third season as manager and unbeaten in four matches since their 5-0 humbling at home to Chelsea.
Whereas there may be an element of fear for Villa about their upcoming fixtures, Southgate is already eagerly anticipating Saturday's trip to seventh-placed Everton. "We're only a point behind them," Southgate said. "How much further do these players want to go? It's very much in their hands. That's the best result since I've been manager because of the quality of the opposition. We're set up to play perfectly away from home with the pace we've got."
Seven points from their last three away games gives that statement credence. Both their goals here came on the break, although it would be wrong to describe their display merely as counter-attacking. In their left-winger, Stewart Downing, they had the outstanding player as he exploited the unfamiliarity of Carlos Cuéllar with the right-back position. On three occasions he troubled Villa's goalkeeper, Brad Friedel, with his long-range shooting and it was one of his crosses that led to the opening goal, Nicky Shorey mistiming his clearance and Tuncay capitalising to drill the ball into the bottom corner.
Middlesbrough's right-back, Justin Hoyte, was equally troubled, insufficiently protected by his right-winger as Ashley Young and James Milner took it in turns to attack that flank. One such raid produced a quick equaliser, Milner sending a cross to the back post where Sidwell, offering thrust from midfield throughout, jumped over Downing to head home.
Milner himself had a chance to give Villa the lead after an hour but he struck Gareth Barry's cutback straight at the keeper's legs. At the other end Young cleared Riggott's header off the line and Afonso Alves was immediately substituted when he missed an open goal from six yards, a signal that Southgate had settled for a point. But two minutes from time Tuncay thrashed the ball inside the near post after Sidwell inexplicably laid it off to a non-existent defender. Inexplicable except for fatigue, that is.
Man of the match: Stewart Downing
Gave Carlos Cuéllar a torrid afternoon, repeatedly gliding past the Spaniard's feeble challenges. There was always an end product after his direct runs, be it a cross to the strikers or a shot at Brad Friedel's goal.
Best moment: Displayed the increased variety of his game by cutting inside on to his right foot and unleashing a shot from 25 yards which troubled Friedel.
