West Bromwich Albion 2 Middlesbrough 0: Performance not up to scratch for Boro

Goals from Simon Cox and Roman Bednar earned promoted Albion a ninth-successive home win.

Strachan said: "I have been in management for 13 years and that is one of the performances that you are actually embarrassed with.

"As a manager you hopefully don't get them too many times – that is about the fourth or fifth one. We are embarrassed by our performance, I mean we as a group, not just the players but we as a group are embarrassed by that.

"West Brom played very well, they set a good standard for the Championship and deservedly they are going to go up.

"We have always been hard to beat and there has been no one who has really, I don't think, who has turned us over this year and made us look the way we did today. That is the first time that has happened."

When Strachan was appointed last October, Middlesbrough were fourth in the table, but the former Celtic boss added: "We were fourth but we were two points away from 10th so it is not as clear-cut as it looks. I am not making any excuses. We have just not been good enough."

Albion manager Roberto Di Matteo said: "I thought that we played really well."

West Brom: Carson (Kiely 46); Steven Reid, Tamas, Olsson, Cech; Brunt, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Koren; Bednar (Miller 82), Cox (Morrison 75). Unused substitutes: Mattock, Barnes, Meite, Slory.

Middlesbrough: Jones; Hoyte, Grounds (Riggott 70), McManus, Naughton; Robson, O'Neil, Rhys Williams (Franks 79), Arca; Killen (Lita 54), McDonald. Unused substitutes: Coyne, Taylor, O'Shea, Miller.

Referee: G Hegley (Hertfordshire).

Man of the match: Roman Bednar.