Player watch: Timm Klose battles hard to make sure of Norwich City’s fantastic 1-0 victory at Middlesbrough

This evening’s Norwich City player watch followed the fortunes of centre-back Timm Klose during the Canaries’ fantastic 1-0 win at Middlesbrough, as the Switzerland international played a key part in a fifth consecutive league clean sheet.

2 – Adama Traore gets past James Husband and crosses from the right to the edge of the six-yard box but Klose hooks clear.

10 – Husband gets a vital head on a Cyrus Christie pass forward and Klose clatters Traore to clear the danger, fairly in the referee’s view.

14 – Traore gets past Husband again and Klose can’t stop the cross, which Christoph Zimmermann clears for a corner and Britt Assombalonga doesn’t make proper contact with a headed change.

16 – Gets away with loud appeals for handball from the home crowd midway in City’s half.

18 – Imposing block on halfway to stop Assombalonga running through on goal.

32 – Cyrus Christie takes a long throw which Assombalonga flicks on and the Swiss international goes up for a header despite Angus Gunn’s call to claim the aerial ball, so gets clattered by his keeper, and apologises as Husband clears.

33 – Vital sliding tackle in the box as Traore gets to the bye-line and pulls back to Nathan Baker, blocking the Chelsea loanee’s shot from 15 yards, Clayton picks up and shoots from 25 yards but Gunn holds bouncing shot.

35 – Poor pass wastes Husband’s vital header, giving the ball to Howson, but Assombalonga over-runs the chance.

43 – Marvin Johnson gets away from Wildschut on the left and floats a cross to the back post, Assombalonga gets up above Klose but Christoph Zimmermann is on the line to make a goal-saving clearance.

56 – Robs Baker on halfway to swiftly end a counter attack.

63 – Baker’s free-kick from the left is headed on by Assombalonga and then nodded back into the middle by Johnson, before Klose makes a vital headed block from Dael Fry’s header from 10 yards.

69 – Vital sliding block from substitute Ashley Fletcher’s low cross from the right, after Traore broke away from Trybull in midfield thanks to a fortunate bounce.

80 – Johnson squeezes a cross past Pinto from the left, Klose heads at back post but only up in the air, Tettey heads clear as far as Baker and Trybull closes down to prevent the shot.

90 – Fletcher flicks a long ball towards Assombalonga on the edge of the six-yard area but Klose wins the header, with the referee waving away desperate appeals for a foul from the frustrated home crowd.

Verdict: Not the smoothest of shifts but battled brilliantly as Boro bombarded the City penalty area, making some timely blocks and showing leadership throughout. City are still yet to concede with Klose on the pitch this season, in almost six full matches, an incredible stat.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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