Middlesbrough 4 Brentford 0: Karanka delighted as Boro continue to rise

Aitor Karanka is delighted by Middlesbrough’s growing momentum after they climbed into the Championship top five with their third win on the spin.

Boro dominated Brentford from start to finish in the Teessiders’ best performance at the Riverside Stadium this season.

Top scorer Grant Leadbitter bagged his sixth goal of the season with a 30-yard screamer in the 35th minute and Albert Adomah netted his first of the campaign five minutes after half-time.

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Chelsea forward Patrick Bamford, on loan until the end of the season, made it three with his first Boro goal in the 68th minute and Spanish substitute Kike made it four in the last minute with a delightful finish.

It is the first time Boro have won three consecutive games since April, after two away wins at Huddersfield and Cardiff.

Karanka said: “It was a difficult game against a kind of team who will make it hard for you.

“They are dangerous opponents. Even at half-time when we were winning I told the players there could be no let-up.

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“We sent the fans home happy and that’s the most important thing. That’s three straight wins and we have to keep going, there’s another game on Tuesday and then Saturday. We’re always looking ahead.”

Brentford were second best all afternoon as the Bees slumped to their second defeat in a row and dropped to 14th in the table. Mark Warburton admitted his side’s display was not good enough.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Fredericks, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter (Clayton 71), Whitehead, Adomah, Bamford (Garcia 76), Nsue, Vossen (Reach 85). Unused substitutes: Blackman, Tomlin, Husband, Woodgate.

Brentford: Button, McCormack, Tarkowski, Dean, Bidwell, Douglas, Odubajo (Toral 75), Judge, Pritchard (Tebar 66), Jota (Proschwitz 65), Gray. Unused substitutes: Craig, Bonham, Betinho, Moore.

Referee: J Simpson (Lancashire).

Man of the match: Grant Leadbitter.