Swansea seemed to be pulling clear of trouble with five wins in their first eight games following head coach Paul Clement's appointment, but two successive defeats had dragged the Swans back into the mire. For Boro, the onus on victory was even greater. Winless in 11, the last time they had won a Premier League game was way back in December - a 3-0 triumph against a Swansea side in the midst of Bob Bradley's ill-fated reign. This had the hallmarks of a tight, nervy relegation battle, but the opening quarter was played at a breathless pace with both teams refreshingly eager to attack.
After a handful of chances at either end, however, the game disintegrated into a disjointed encounter in which neither team seized the initiative. Swansea's attack lacked its focal point with top scorer Fernando Llorente injured, while Boro seldom looked like scoring their first away league goal of 2017. Both teams had chances in the closing stages - Gylfi Sigurdsson twice went close for the hosts with a long-range shot and a deflected free-kick - but ultimately paid the price for their caution. Middlesbrough head coach Steve Agnew had said he wanted the manager's job on a permanent basis, and the club's owner Steve Gibson suggested the 51-year-old could be "the glue to unify us completely".
Agnew had started his temporary reign with a 3-1 home defeat against Manchester United, and he gave an indication of his attacking intent at the Liberty Stadium by recalling winger Adama Traore. The rapid former Barcelona player was the most potent threat for the visitors, who had mustered a division-low tally of 20 Premier League goals so far this season. Traore, sporting a distinctive new bleached blonde haircut, found space between Swansea's midfield and defence and ran at them at pace, drawing fouls and spreading panic among his opponents. Despite Traore's forays, Boro looked blunt in attack. Fortunately for Agnew's men, so did Swansea's against a visiting defence whose 33 goals conceded this season make it the fifth best in the league.
