Neil Maddison
Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Tees

Middlesbrough's Lukas Engel has had a lot of work to do defensively.

Abdoullah Ba, who is playing on Sunderland's right, is a good player.

Gary Bennett
Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle

What was Sunderland's Abdoullah Ba doing?

You know what you would put that down to? Inexperience.

Abdoullah Ba makes a brilliant run behind the back of Boro's defence to meet Mason Burstow's through ball and into the right of the box.

He's clean through but support is slow to arrive and he has to take the shot from a difficult angle which hits the side netting.

Lukas Engel is the first Boro man into the book for a barge in the back of Abdoullah Ba.

The Sunderland man is also booked for his protests. Daft.

Nick Barnes
BBC Newcastle's Sunderland commentator

In the last five or 10 minutes, Sunderland have been struggling to get out of their half.

They are trying to find an opening, but give the ball straight to Hayden Hackney.

Image source, Rex Features

Sunderland midfielder Abdoullah Ba now stings the palms of Tom Glover, cutting in from the right into the box, but his curling shot is dealt with comfortably enough.

Sam Greenwood is almost played in one-on-one, but is fractionally offside.

Can't take your eyes off this one.

Neil Maddison
Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Tees

Hayden Hackney doesn't quite get hold of it.

Middlesbrough rob Sunderland's Jode Bellingham, Hackney wins the ball, he drives.

He has Finn Azaz and Sam Greenwood to his left.

But, he has every right to go for goal.

Jack Clarke is proving a proper menace for the Boro back four and finds space at the far post to meet a cross and force another corner.

Ballard gets his head to it in a goalmouth melee but the hosts just about deal with it before a free-kick gives them a chance to clear.

Space then opens up for Hayden Hackney at the other end and he goes for goal from range. It's high, wide, not so handsome.

Matt Newsum
BBC Sport at the Riverside

The two Michaels, Carrick and Beale, are currently positioned in their technical areas, motionless, as the respectively bosses.

Very much observe and process. Hand in pockets, taking it all in.

There's a 50-50 offside call against Middlesbrough, crowd are up, fans roaring.

Beale holds out his hands, in a calm motion, in response.

Luke O'Nien is allowed the freedom of the Riverside to run unchallenged to the edge of the Boro box.

He plays in Jack Clarke whose strike is deflected wide.

Image source, Rex Features

Marcus Forss finds space to run into down the right but is blocked out for a corner from the right.

Its driven out to Lukas Engel on the edge of the box, and he sends a shot over the angle of bar and post after an accidental collision with referee Darren England.

Sunderland are then opened up once again in midfield by Finn Azaz's pass into the box for Hayden Hackney, but his attempt to find the waiting Sam Greenwood eight yards out is cut out by Trai Hume. Just.

Gary Bennett
Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle

Middlesbrough's Dan Barlaser is dropping in and picking out the passes.

Sunderland have got to watch out. They have got to get somebody else out to him.

They are causing themselves problems. Leo Hjelde is getting forward from left-back, but when play breaks down, that is a problem.

Gary Bennett
Ex-Sunderland defender on BBC Radio Newcastle

The problem Sunderland have got is that there is only one person in the box.

I don't think this game is going to end 0-0, though.

A busy afternoon for the keepers so far as Boro stopper Tom Glover is called into action again to push away Trai Hume's shot from distance.

It's not cagey!

Could be a long afternoon for Trai Hume as he picks up the first booking of the day for hacking down Sam Greenwood.

Neil Maddison
Former Middlesbrough midfielder on BBC Tees

Sunderland's Jack Clarke was one-on-one with Boro's Luke Ayling there and he got past him easily.

It was great play.

Jack Clarke shows Luke Ayling a clean pair of heels to get to the byline and fire in a shot from a narrow angle.

Tom Glover does what he needs to and blocks the shot at the near post with a strong right hand. He follows his good work by catching the corner.

Matt Newsum
BBC Sport at the Riverside

Sometimes these early kick-offs can feel a bit sluggish for fans and players alike but there's been enough early action to get all concerned up and running.

Finn Azaz could have ripped the roof off sound-wise had his first time effort sailed in rather than zipped over for Boro.

We've had a good bit of tit-for-tat chanting, we've got the Red Faction ultras banging the drum for a bit of Tifosi' flavour and it's been lively.

What a chance for Boro.

Lukas Engel plays a superb ball to send Sam Greenwood racing clear and bearing down on goal. Anthony Patterson comes out well to make the block.

It falls to Finn Azaz whose eyes light up, but he can do no better than blaze a shot over the bar from the edge of the box.

Image source, Rex Features

Back up the other end as Sunderland wing-back Trai Hume swings a dangerous ball from the left across the face of the six-yard box.

Middlesbrough do enough to clear for a corner. Decent start.