MICHAEL Carrick admitted he had no plan for his Boro side's winning goal after home goalkeeper Carl Rushworth was punished for picking up Harry Darling's back pass.
Substitute Samuel Silvera smashed home the 77th-minute free-kick from just a few yards out, breaching Swansea's wall of defenders on the line.
Boro ended a run of three consecutive Championship defeats thanks to this victory.
They had led at the interval through Sam Greenwood's composed finish, but Jamal Lowe equalised to give Swansea hope of only a third home league win this term.
"It's a strange one. I've not seen it for a long time," Boro boss Carrick said of the decision, as he recalled his former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo scoring in similar circumstances at Old Trafford.
This story is from the December 17, 2023 edition of The Football League Paper.
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This story is from the December 17, 2023 edition of The Football League Paper.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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