MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) - Swansea stayed in the English Premier League relegation zone as Bob Bradley’s team again performed badly away from home, losing to Middlesbrough 3-0 on Saturday.
The Welsh side has conceded 11 goals in its last three away league games - scoring only once - and is three points from safety.
“When I came here I knew what I was getting into and I’m not backing down from it now,” Bradley said. “That’s the challenge - when the team has put itself in a tough spot everybody has got to stick together during the toughest times and fight the fight.
“I put pressure on myself to see if we can make the team stronger and fight for points every week, and I will continue to do that.”
Alvaro Negredo scored two first-half goals as Middlesbrough coasted to a win over its relegation rival at Riverside Stadium.
Negredo’s early brace and a 58th-minute effort from Marten de Roon sunk the below-par Swans.
Bradley’s men were second best throughout, giving Negredo space in the box to swing home an 18th-minute opener before Jordi Amat tripped Adam Forshaw to set up Negredo’s second from the spot.
The visitors got the third they deserved just before the hour mark when Marten de Roon converted a cross from Negredo.
“It’s the same story,” said Bradley, the former U.S. coach hired by Swansea in October. “We started OK, we felt the energy and confidence but on their first real look at goal we went down.
“We talked about our ability to hold things together, but their second goal came after a strange mix-up over whose throw it was, the next thing it’s a penalty and we’ve put ourselves in a big hole.”
Middlesbrough moved up three spots to 14th, with six more points than Swansea, which dropped a place to 19th out of 20.
“For the first time today we didn’t take care of business against a team that is right around us in the table,” Bradley said. “Now we’ve got to look at our next two home matches (against West Ham and Bournemouth) because winning home matches in this battle is going to be the real key.”
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