Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka full of praise for his side ahead of Norwich City clash

Patrick Bamford and Yanic Wildschut put Boro in control before the Millers had Jordan Bowery sent off and Lee Tomlin added insult to injury late on.

The victory moved Aitor Karanka's side up to third in the table and was earned with a performance which pleased the Spanish head coach.

'That's a very good three points and I am very pleased,' Karanka said.

'The game was difficult, we knew it would be this kind of game. We didn't start very well and conceded a few chances, but we played with intensity after that.

'We had two chances and scored two goals. We were controlling the game and winning 2-0 so I don't think the sending off was a big thing.

'We had to play our style and not a style we don't know.'

Dutch winger Wildschut made his first start in a Boro shirt, with Albert Adomah sidelined with a stomach bug, and Karanka was pleased with the 23-year-old's efforts.

'I'm very happy with Yanic, he is training well and players will get a chance when they do that,' former Real Madrid midielder Karanka told his club's official website.

'Yanic played very well and his work was good. It's very great what have here. It means we have good players who are all training very well.'

Spanish defender Dani Ayala looks certain to face his old club at the Riverside tomorrow night, after also coming in for praise from the Boro boss.

'For me the most important is that we can speak in Spanish, I can explain to him all the things in Spanish and that is important,' Karanka said, speaking to the Middlesbrough Gazette.

'The other thing is you have to know him as a person. When I arrived here he was playing well.

'In my first game he didn't play really well maybe because the only player who understood me perfectly was him and I gave him all the rollockings and I think it was bad for him because his character is the kind of player who sometimes needs more support.

'He was a very good player then but now he is more confident.'