Boro impress but boss Karanka stays calm

Goals in each half from Lee Tomlin and Albert Adomah extended Boro’s unbeaten league streak to seven matches and took them up to third in the Championship table.

Captain Gordon Greer pulled a late goal back for the Seagulls, but it was not enough as they now sit 20th and only one point above the drop zone.

Karanka admitted his side are “gelling well as a unit” but shrugged off talk of promotion form at such an early stage of the campaign.

Karanka’s men now boast five wins and two draws from their last seven games, but the Spaniard did not want to look further ahead than tomorrow’s game at Wolves.

He said: “We’re in October now so we can forget about the last game, our focus is on Tuesday.

“It’s very pleasing to get three points from this tough game. It’s difficult to win games in this league and more difficult to win them away from home.

“Brighton are a very good team and they are in a false position. I’m sure they will be climbing the table in the future.”

Karanka was delighted with the way his team began both halves and felt they got better as the match wore on.

He added: “In this league you have to work 100 per cent and (Saturday) was a good example.

“The team is gelling well as a unit and we kept good organisation.”

Brighton: Stockdale, Calderon, Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Gardner, Holla (O’Grady 46), Forster-Caskey (Adrian Colunga 77), Teixeira (McCourt 30), Baldock, LuaLua. Unused substitues: Hughes, Chicksen, Ince, Walton.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Fredericks, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Adomah (Nsue 84), Leadbitter, Clayton (Whitehead 60), Reach, Tomlin (Vossen 46), Garcia. Unused substitues: Bamford, Wildschut, Blackman, Veljkovic.

Referee: Andy D’Urso (Essex).

Man of the match: Lee Tomlin.