Aston Villa made sure it was a miserable start to life at Middlesbrough for former West Brom boss Tony Pulis.
Steve Bruce’s men left the Riverside Stadium with all three points after Robert Snodgrass scored the only goal of the game.
The result sees Villa draw level on points and goal difference with Sheffield United, who occupy the fourth and final play-off spot.
Here is how we rated the Villa players after the full-time whistle.
Sam Johnstone - 6
The goalkeeper was rarely troubled by Middlesbrough and dealt with their threats well.
Ahmed Elmohamady - 5
Boro have a lot of pace going forward and they got the better of Elmohamady.
Tommy Elphick - 8
A great performance from the former Bournemouth defender.
He was in all the right places at just the right time and it’s a performance like that which could give him a future at Villa Park.
James Chester - 6
The captain put a performance that has come to be expected from him.
A couple of scares but dealt with Boro’s forwards well.
Alan Hutton - 7
Stewart Downing can be a tricky customer for many defenders at this level and the Scotsman did well to keep him quiet.
Robert Snodgrass - 8
Got his name on the scoresheet to grab the winner. His goal rounded off an improved performance from the winger.
Mile Jedinak - 7
The midfielder was one of Villa’s best players on the day. Very impressive in the middle of the park.
Conor Hourihane - 7
The former Barnsley midfielder was excellent in possession. Showed why he needs to be in the side.
Josh Onomah - 6
Played a little deeper in midfield and it did suffocate him a little.
Albert Adomah - 6
Despite a recent run of form Adomah lacked a bit of quality on the ball against Boro.
Scott Hogan - 6
Hogan put himself about well but lacked any real quality in front of goal.
Subs:
Jack Grealish – 7
The midfielder used the ball well in possession and showed glimpses of his quality.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 6
Hepburn-Murphy put himself about well and made an impact on the game.
Birkir Bjarnason – 6
Helped the visitors see out the game and take all three points.
Here's more you might like