Bristol City 1 Middlesbrough 0: Wes Burns ends Boro hopes of sole record

Bristol Citys Korey Smith, left, duels with Middlesbroughs Albert Adomah (Picture: PA Wire).

The league leaders looked set to leave Ashton Gate with a point, extending their nine-match unbeaten run in the competition without conceding a goal.

It was a record mark they shared with Chelsea, set in 1905-06, Leeds United (1927-28) and Charlton Athletic (1997-98).

However, Wes Burns’s stoppage-time winner saw Boro suffer a loss – not that boss Karanka quibbled with the outcome.

“It was a late goal, but it could have come five or 10 minutes earlier because we couldn’t clear our box in the closing stages,” he said.

“We knew it would be a tough game and that Bristol were dangerous from set pieces, but I expected much more from my players.

“We didn’t deserve to win because we didn’t play in our usual way and our key players did not perform as they can.

“People were expecting an easy win for us, but football is not like that and the Championship is not like that.

“It was a poor performance. Sometimes there is more pressure for the players in facing a struggling side than in big games and we didn’t deal with it.”

It was an impressive display from Bristol City, who were managed by former Sheffield United and Leeds United player John Pemberton and Under-21 coach Wade Elliott following Steve Cotterill’s sacking on Thursday.

Pemberton, who had been assistant to Cotterill, said: “The feeling in the dressing room was one of relief. It has been a very difficult week because we lost a good man and a good manager.

“The response from the players was unbelievable and we fully deserved to win. With all due respect to Middlesbrough, we were the better team.

“We had only one day to work with the players and tried to keep things as simple as possible. We tried a different formation, with three Bristol lads in the team, and it all worked well.

“I would definitely like to stay at the club, but in what capacity I don’t know. If it is the best interests of the club, I would consider becoming manager.”

Bristol City: O’Donnell, Ayling, Flint, Baker (Little 90), Williams (Wagstaff 71), Burns, Reid, Pack, Smith, Bryan, Kodjia (Wilbraham 80). Unused substitutes: El-Abd,Agard,O’Leary.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Nsue, Ayala, Amorebieta, Friend, Clayton (Forshaw 88), Leadbitter, Stuani, Downing, Adomah, Garcia (Nugent 64). Unused substitutes: El-Abd, Agard, O’Leary.

Referee: Carl Boyeson (E Yorkshire).