Boro steamrolled

IT has not taken long for Alex to live up to his new nickname. On the day the Chelsea manager, Avram Grant, talked of style over substance there was no better time for ‘The Tank’ to showcase the full range of his impressive armoury.

Not content with keeping Middlesbrough’s forward line quiet, the imposing central defender revealed himself to be equally adept as a destructive attacking force. The sheer ferocity of his second-half free-kick, converted from 35 yards in a blur of brilliance, so shocked the home team that they never quite recovered.

Alex’s intoxicating blend of power and panache is atypically Brazilian and yet it is little wonder that his tenacity is complemented by a sure touch. Hailing from the same Santos club as Edson Arantes de Nascimento, the 25-year-old was brought up to believe in the finest traditions of the beautiful game.