Manchester City vs. Middlesbrough: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League

Manchester City conceded a late equaliser against Middlesbrough on Saturday as Boro battled to a 1-1 draw at the Etihad Stadium in the 2016-17 Premier League contest. Marten de Roon bagged the vital goal, while Sergio Aguero opened the score in the first half.

City dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead shortly before half-time, but Boro recovered after the break and turned the match into a real contest.

Chances were few, but De Roon made the most of his, pulling his side level with a late header.

As shared by the Citizens' official Twitter account, Vincent Kompany didn't make the starting XI, while Jesus Navas did:

The Citizens started with plenty of possession and slow, methodical passing, and Kevin De Bruyne and Aguero looked dangerous from the opening minute. Alvaro Negredo spent the majority of the opening stages on an island, while his team defended their goal with numbers.

Ilkay Gundogan put Victor Valdes to work for the first time with a shot straight at the stopper, and De Bruyne had a free-kick deflected. Set pieces were a regular occurrence early, but Valdes stood his ground.

Gundogan again threatened with an overhead kick that went wide, before Aguero unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty after light contact inside the box.

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Adama Traore was the main danger man for the visitors, but City expertly limited his opportunities on the counter. Aleksandar Kolarov joined in on the shooting fun, but he too fired his effort too close to Valdes.

De Bruyne went close after 24 minutes, angling a shot just wide of the post, and Aguero did the opposite, firing a strike straight at the goalkeeper. Valdes stayed busy, denying Aguero again, and he suffered a nasty-looking injury toward the end of the half after Navas planted his studs into his leg.

As shared by former England international Gary Lineker, it left quite the mark:

A goal seemed inevitable, as the Citizens continued to pepper Valdes' goal with shots, and it was Aguero who finally broke the deadlock thanks to a wonderful pass from De Bruyne.

The Belgian angled a sharp drive in front of goal, picking out his team-mate beautifully, and Aguero easily slotted home.

The Argentinian has quite the scoring record for the Citizens:

Navas ended the half with a powerful drive that clipped the post.

At half-time, Unusual Efforts thought De Bruyne must have felt good about that assist:

Boro started the second half well, and Negredo put Claudio Bravo to work with a long-range strike the goalkeeper had to punch clear. Adam Forshaw drew an even bigger save, with Bravo reacting quickly to his effort from close range.

Traore remained busy and made an impression with his dribbling, and the visitors employed more of a high line, frustrating the Citizens. 

Dominic Shaw of Gazette Boro liked what he saw:

City needed a second goal to all but end the match, but chances were few after the break. De Bruyne found himself without an outlet more often than not, and Aguero didn't have much success on the break. 

Valdes easily claimed a De Bruyne header and Aguero had a similar effort that went over the bar, as the Citizens once again increased the pressure. Nolito was introduced, while the visitors gave Viktor Fischer a chance.

Aguero perhaps should have doubled his tally with four minutes left to play, curling a shot over the bar, and he was booked for a silly tackle on the edge of the Boro box shortly after.

With time running out, the final result seemed set, but De Roon had other ideas, per the team's official Twitter account:

Per City's official Twitter account, manager Pep Guardiola felt bad for his players:

City's next outing will be at Crystal Palace after the international break, while Boro host Chelsea.