Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick admitted Riley McGree’s stunning winner was good enough to win any game and was the “wow” moment from their 1-0 win at St. Andrew’s.

McGree’s 17th-minute goal was his sixth of the season and first since September, giving Boro their third straight win.

The Teessiders are up to ninth and five points off the final play-off position.

“I don’t think you expect that but it was a pure strike from Riley,” said Carrick.

“He’s capable of those moments and he’s had one or two of those ‘wow’ moments with goals he’s scored like that.

“It was a hell of a strike and fitting to win any game. He’s capable of that and, like some of the boys, capable of even better.

“I thought there were moments of real quality in the game and that was the standout one.

“Hopefully he’s coming into a real vein of form when we need him.”

McGree’s celebrations were muted out of respect to the club where he spent 15 months on loan across two seasons from October 2020 to the end of 2021.

“Knowing Riley it was down to that. He’s down to earth and humble and very respectful,” added Carrick.

“I didn’t realise that but if he didn’t celebrate, I can understand that.”

Carrick was non-committal on Boro’s hopes of making the top six, with Blackburn at home on Saturday.

“Let’s see where we go – we’ve had a good week,” he said.

“We were the only game so we knew we could make a bit of a jump, so we made the most of it.

“Just because we won doesn’t mean the next game is going to naturally end in a win. We need to start again and prepare for that.”

McGree lashed an unstoppable left-foot drive into the top corner from 25 yards after Alex Pritchard’s pass was easily cut out by Luke Ayling.

Birmingham have now gone five games without a win and are just a point above the relegation zone after losing their match in hand.

Interim manager Mark Venus admitted the absence of boss Tony Mowbray for medical treatment was being felt deeply.

“He’s making good progress and we can’t get him back quickly enough and hopefully he will be back in the future,” said Venus.

“We’ve missed him immensely and enormously. He’s a leader, a motivator and a driver and I think undoubtedly when you have someone like him at the front, you miss him.

“We have not got enough leaders in the club. But we have to work with what we’ve got and we have to do better and get through this.

“It’s a lack of quality that we all have to address.”

Riley McGree returned to haunt his old loan club Birmingham with a stunning goal as Middlesbrough won 1-0 at St. Andrew’s.

Attacking midfielder McGree, 25, put Boro ahead in the 17th minute after a mistake by Alex Pritchard in a game of few clear-cut chances.

The result heaps pressure on City, who have now gone five games without a win and are only out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone by a point after their match in hand.

City have not won since manager Tony Mowbray – a much-loved former Middlesbrough player and manager – has been away from his daily duties for medical treatment.

Both sets of fans chanted his name but Birmingham looked in need of the 60-year-old’s guidance as Boro made it three wins in a row.

Birmingham had the first chance when Pritchard attempted a 40-yard chip over goalkeeper Seny Dieng but his ambitious effort drifted wide.

Paddy McNair fired over a long-range rising effort for Middlesbrough after Emmanuel Latte Lath was denied from point-blank range by goalkeeper John Ruddy.

But a mistake by Pritchard led to Boro taking a 17th-minute lead.

The former Brentford and Sunderland midfielder’s pass was easily cut out by Luke Ayling. He found McGree, who lashed an unstoppable left-foot drive into the top corner of the net from 25 yards.

McGree, who spent 15 months on loan at Blues from October 2020 to the end of 2021, celebrated in understated fashion against his old club.

Things went from bad to worse for City two minutes later when centre-back Marc Roberts went off injured to be replaced by Cody Drameh.

Ayling tried to make it 2-0 after cutting inside and curling goalwards but his attempt was straight at Ruddy.

Pritchard sliced horribly wide on the angle as neither he nor Koji Miyoshi seemed to want to take responsibility to shoot.

If Birmingham’s struggles were not summed up by that lack of confidence, they were underlined when no one challenged Latte Lath from Lukas Engel’s throw-in and the striker fired just wide.

Matt Clarke sent a bullet header wide from a corner as the visitors continued to look the more dangerous side.

Birmingham replaced the out-of-sorts Miyoshi with Juninho Bacuna at half-time but they continued to look unconvincing.

There was a four-minute stoppage before the hour mark after referee Andy Davies went off injured, with fourth official Jeremy Simpson taking over the whistle.

The lively Latte Lath only just failed to get enough contact on an up-and-under, with the sliced effort flying over.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes remains “convinced” the club will avoid relegation despite their recent resurgence being ended by a 2-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough.

Rangers, unbeaten in their previous four matches – which included a win at leaders Leicester and Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with West Brom – faded in the second half at Loftus Road, where goals from Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marcus Forss gave Boro the points.

Cifuentes’ side recently climbed out of the relegation zone, where they had been since September, but remain just one point above second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday.

“Trust me, I don’t need a defeat to have a reality check. It’s a really difficult situation,” Cifuentes said.

“I’m convinced that we’re going to manage to reach the target, but if anyone thought it was easy they were making a big mistake.

“I’m not a magician. I’m here to help. But to expect we’re going to win every game is delusional. It’s going to be tough.”

A win would have been a massive boost for Rangers in their battle to stay up but, after being the better team for much of the first half, they ran out of ideas and energy in the second.

Cifuentes admitted: “We have a sad feeling because it’s true that we had big expectations about this game and we didn’t perform – not even close to the last game.

“We had a very demanding game on Wednesday, emotionally and physically, and Middlesbrough played 60 minutes against 10 men against Norwich, so perhaps that’s one of the reasons they looked more energetic in the second half.

“It’s very demanding when you have three games in just a few days and especially when you have Leicester away and West Brom, which were very demanding.”

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick believes back-to-back wins have underlined the fighting spirit of his players.

Boro lost four out of their five matches prior to the recent upturn but are eight points away from the play-off places and still in with a slim chance of promotion.

Carrick said: “I keep saying about the spirit of the boys. It’s easy when you’re winning to say that, but when you have a tough spell – and we’ve had a couple of tough spells – you see people’s characters and their real personalities.

“The boys have been incredible in terms of sticking together and finding a way through it.

“It’s two big results for us. There’s no getting away from that. The timing of the two results has been good and we’ve got two games coming up before the international break that we need to make the most of.”

Latte Lath broke the deadlock after 64 minutes as Rangers were unable to clear a free-kick and Matt Clarke nudged the ball towards the Ivorian striker, who sent a right-footed volley past goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and into the corner of the net.

Forss doubled the lead 12 minutes later following a counter-attack.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game but what mattered most was the spirit and willingness to work for each other,” said Carrick.

“I’m delighted. To find a way to grind out a win was pleasing. The boys did what they needed to do to get the win.

“It was a case of having the belief and backing themselves to go and win the game.”

Second-half goals from Emmanuel Latte Lath and Marcus Forss gave Middlesbrough a 2-0 victory at Loftus Road and ended QPR’s recent resurgence.

Latte Lath broke the deadlock on 64 minutes as Rangers were unable to clear a free-kick and Matt Clarke nudged the ball towards the Ivorian striker, who sent a right-footed volley past goalkeeper 12 Asmir Begovic and into the corner of the net.

Forss then doubled the lead 12 minutes later following a counter-attack after Rangers’ Chris Willock appeared to have been fouled near the edge of the Boro penalty area.

Jonny Howson played the ball to the right to Luke Ayling, who crossed for Forss to head home at the far post.

The defeat means QPR, who were unbeaten in their previous four matches, sit just one point above the relegation zone.

They were on the front foot for most of the first half and went close to scoring an early goal when Steve Cook’s header from Lucas Andersen’s right-wing corner struck Howson and went over.

The in-form Sam Field headed over from another Andersen corner and Ilias Chair fired wide as the hosts continued the threaten.

Boro goalkeeper Seny Dieng, playing against his former club, then pushed away a strike from Willock after some neat build-up play by Rangers.

Dieng was also able to keep out an audacious attempt by Chair to catch him off his line.

At the other end, Riley McGree blasted a shot wide of the target, but Boro offered very little before the interval.

They were better after the restart – prompting QPR boss Marti Cifuentes to make a triple substitution 10 minutes into the second half, sending on forwards Lyndon Dykes and Paul Smyth along with on-loan Newcastle midfielder Issac Hayden.

Playmaker Chair was one of those to make way and the home side struggled to create clear-cut chances after his withdrawal.

The changes initially had some effect, with Rangers showing more urgency and Dieng surviving another attempt to embarrass him – this time when Jimmy Dunne’s lob from the right-hand side landed on the top of the net.

But it was Michael Carrick’s Boro who seized the initiative and Rangers, who had started so brightly, faded badly and never looked like recovering after going behind.

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick welcomed a much-needed win for his side as they beat 10-man Norwich 3-1 at the Riverside Stadium.

The Canaries went ahead through Ashley Barnes but their dominant opening period was cut short when Borja Sainz was sent off in the 30th minute.

And Boro were able to capitalise, levelling just eight minutes after the dismissal with Marcus Forss stabbing home from close range.

An unmarked Emmanuel Latte Lath then tucked the ball into the bottom left corner just before half-time and Lukas Engel’s first-time effort wrapped up victory in the second period.

Victory saw Boro earn their first Championship win at home since December and Carrick admitted the result was all that mattered.

He said: “It was a good result for us. We needed a win, we needed a result. I think we needed something to go our way, which we haven’t really had much lately.

“The red card is a moment. I thought we were just starting to find our feet a little bit, we found it tough at the start of the game, but we dealt with the sending off really well actually.

“It’s not easy to deal with, playing against 10 men, but I thought the boys approached that really well and the spell before half-time put the game in our direction.

“I haven’t seen (the red card) back, but it didn’t really matter and the performance didn’t have to be perfect tonight.

“We needed to get that feeling back for everyone and the boys especially and I’m delighted we managed to do that.”

Norwich boss David Wagner hinted that the club may appeal against the red card, but would not comment further on the decision.

“I’ve seen it back, but to be fair I don’t really like to give any comments, I like to leave it with the guys who make the decisions,” he said.

“It looks like we maybe appeal it, then this speaks for itself.

“I know that sometimes the angle and vision on the pitch from a referee could be different, then you see it in your way and sometimes the decision is not the right one, if it makes sense.

“But at the end of the day, he gave the red card because he has seen something.”

Norwich missed the chance to climb into the play-off places.

And Wagner was left frustrated on a night when he felt his team had started to produce one of their best away performances of the campaign.

“A frustrating last 60 minutes of the game and a fantastic first 30 minutes,” he added.

“I think the first 30 minutes were one of our best away performances so far.

“We totally controlled and dominated the opponent, super strong in the counter-press, good in the defence, played very good football.

“Got the lead, had the chance to score even more with Dimitris Giannoulis’ chance and Ashley Barnes’ clear-cut chance as well, then obviously the red card changed the game totally.”

Middlesbrough earned their first Sky Bet Championship win at the Riverside Stadium since December by beating 10-man Norwich 3-1.

The Canaries started the game on top and took the lead through Ashley Barnes, but the evening quickly took a turn when Borja Sainz was sent off in the 30th minute.

Boro levelled through Marcus Forss and Emmanuel Latte Lath put them ahead just before half-time.

Lukas Engel added a third in the second half to wrap up victory as Norwich missed the chance to move into the play-off places.

Norwich dominated the opening stages and tested the Boro defence early on when Sainz unleashed a curling effort just around the post.

They nearly had the opener in the 13th minute when a great ball released Dimitris Giannoulis down the left and the full-back found Barnes, who had a first-time strike palmed behind by goalkeeper Seny Dieng.

The early pressure paid off as the visitors took the lead in the 17th minute when Gabriel Sara picked out Barnes on the break inbetween the Boro defence and although the striker stumbled to the floor on his first go, he was able to stick a leg out on the ground to roll the ball past Dieng.

Norwich were reduced to 10 men when Sainz was tackled by Jonny Howson and the winger was shown red after flicking a boot out at the Boro captain.

Boro soon took advantage of the extra player on their first real attack of the game when Forss levelled in the 37th minute. Engel fired the ball into the box for Latte Lath, but the subsequent clearance reached the Finnish forward, who stabbed home from close-range.

The hosts took the lead just six minutes later when Matt Clarke’s cross fell to an unmarked Latte Lath, who easily tucked the ball into the bottom left corner.

Boro continued to threaten early in the second half with some dangerous crosses from both flanks. Angus Gunn made a quick stop to deny Riley McGree’s effort from a tight angle before Howson curled the ball over the crossbar from a free-kick.

Michael Carrick’s side extended their lead out of nowhere in the 62nd minute as Luke Ayling’s pin-point cross from the right found Engel at the far post, who smashed the ball first time underneath the goalkeeper.

McGree then forced Gunn to make a great punch from his powerful strike and substitute Anfernee Dijksteel had a chance saved from close range.

Boro retained possession well in the final stages and nearly had a fourth, but Engel was denied by a quick clearance.

Stoke boss Steven Schumacher wants to make their home ground a fortress after a crucial 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.

Bae Jun-ho’s second goal in as many games before the interval set the hosts on course to a vital victory.

And Lewis Baker put the result beyond any doubt late on to hand the Potters a major boost in their battle for survival.

Stoke remain in the relegation zone but move level on points with three sides above them.

“It’s a big win and I’m really pleased for everyone,” said Schumacher.

“It was two teams that aren’t in brilliant form; the first goal was crucial and after that, we played with a bit more confidence.

“It was a tough game, but I think every one of our players deserves huge credit because everyone played right to the maximum and that’s what it’s going to take.

“We’re in a real battle and there’s so many teams in a congested bottom half of the division.

“We need to make this place a difficult place to come and today our fans were outstanding right from the very first whistle.

“It was a great atmosphere; we needed the fans today and we’re going to need them again.

“They got behind us and I really appreciate the support and the players put in the effort and the commitment that they’ll get behind.

“It was a massive win and every point that you get is going to be huge; everyone can see how tight it is. Six points separate us and 12th, which is mental.

“It’ll change loads of times from now until the end of the season. There are 11 games to go, a lot of points to play for and we’ve got to try and get as many as we can.”

Middlesbrough slipped to a fourth defeat in five games as their wastefulness was punished.

Riley McGree was denied an early opener by Daniel Iversen and Emmanuel Latte Lath had an effort blocked on the line.

“It was always going to be a tough one and a bit of a wrestle,” said boss Michael Carrick.

“I thought we got to grips with it well early in the game and we had some really good chances.

“The first goal was important today and it didn’t go our way and we didn’t really get to grips with chasing the game as we would’ve liked.

“It wasn’t for a lack of effort or attitude; we just didn’t have the ball in the right part of the pitch for long enough.

“Confidence when you’re not winning is tested; it’s the human side to sport and you can’t expect the boys to be flying because we haven’t had good results.

“We’ve got to be wary of the next game, picking up the next win as soon as we can and performing well.

“That’s purely the main focus for me now; we’ve got a cluster of games coming up over the next 10 days or so.

“We need to look forward to and attack them as they’re opportunities for us to put things right.

“We want the next result to come quickly for us but in terms of the league table, it doesn’t change the next game.

“Wherever you’re at in the league, you’re always trying to win the next game.”

Stoke secured a vital victory in their fight for survival as they defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 but remain in the Championship relegation zone.

A Bae Jun-ho strike before the interval – his second goal in as many games – set the Potters on their way.

And Lewis Baker added the finishing touch to a well-worked corner routine to secure a rare home win.

With the mounting threat of a first relegation to the third tier since 1998, Stoke rose to the occasion to secure just a second win in eight games and relieve pressure on boss Steven Schumacher.

Meanwhile, Boro fell to a fourth defeat in five games.

Stoke, who entered the match in the relegation zone for the first time this season, were given a “call to arms” by Jonathan Walters pre-match.

But the interim technical director’s rallying cry was nearly undone as Middlesbrough raced out of the gates.

Boro should have taken the lead inside three minutes when Riley McGree was found in the box but goalkeeper Daniel Iversen did well to race out and smother the forward.

Despite the early warning sign, the Potters gradually found their rhythm and they also spurned a glorious opportunity to snatch an early advantage.

An intricate Stoke attack ended with Jun-ho teeing up the onrushing Million Manhoef but the January recruit from Vitesse could only blaze over the target.

An end-to-end Basketball-style first half unfolded and again Michael Carrick was left ruing a sequence of missed chances.

Emmanuel Latte Lath – making his first start since December due to injury – rounded Iversen and had an open goal at his mercy but Michael Rose blocked on the line.

The Potters looked to capitalise before the interval with Seny Dieng called to action to deny Niall Ennis’ nodded header.

And the hosts’ persistence was rewarded prior to the break with an opener courtesy of the in-form Jun-ho.

The South Korean youngster shrugged off the challenge of Luke Ayling, advanced powerfully and fired a low effort beyond Dieng to rouse a vocal home support.

Stoke continued to dictate terms after the restart.

And they should have doubled their advantage when Daniel Barlaser was caught sleeping inside his own area.

A lively Baker pickpocketed the Boro midfielder and teed up Josh Laurent in the six-yard box but Dieng stood strong to keep the tie within reach.

However, the former made amends for his indecision when he eased the local faithful’s nerves with the Potters’ second inside 70 minutes.

A corner routine off the training ground ended with a drilled Baker shot deflecting off Matt Clarke beyond a wrongfooted Dieng, confirming a crucial Stoke win.

Middlesbrough secured their first ever major trophy and a place in Europe with victory in the League Cup final on this day 20 years ago.

A 2-1 triumph over Bolton at the Millennium Stadium saw Steve McClaren underline his emerging credentials as a potential long-term successor to England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, becoming the first English manager in eight years to win one of the nation’s three main prizes.

With the first half a comedy of defensive errors, this final may have been more slapstick farce than stylish drama but it was hugely entertaining nonetheless.

Joseph-Desire Job gave Boro the lead after just two minutes and on-loan Boudewijn Zenden then converted a mis-hit penalty.

Bolton gamely battled back, with Mark Schwarzer’s careless mistake enabling Kevin Davies, who sat in the stands for Southampton’s FA Cup final defeat the season before, to pull a goal back after 21 minutes.

However, while Per Frandsen struck the post in that frantic first half, McClaren’s side, who were inspired by captain Gareth Southgate in defence and Gaizka Mendieta in midfield, steadied their resolve in a far more formulaic second half.

McClaren, who became England manager in 2006 after leading Boro to the UEFA Cup final, highlighted the performance of Southgate, saying: “You need heroes in a cup final and we had 11, 12 or 13 out there, and in the second half Mendieta was magnificent, but if there’s one player I’d single out it’s Gareth Southgate.

“He has been the talisman of this football club since I came. I made him my first signing and told him the ambitions and we’ve had many ups and downs since then but I’m delighted for him because he deserves it.

“We wanted to bring a trophy to Middlesbrough after 128 years. That was my ambition when I sat down with the chairman. Personally it’s fantastic but the fans were magnificent.”

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick wants to shoulder the blame for the way his side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Riverside to Plymouth.

Boro were booed off the pitch at half-time and full-time having been unable to break down a Plymouth side who scored twice in the first half.

Matthew Sorinola’s seventh-minute opener arrived when he turned in the rebound following Tom Glover’s failure to put Darko Gyabi’s curling effort out of harm’s way.

And Ryan Hardie’s 13th of the season, after controlling a Gyabi pass and then finishing coolly in the 31st minute, was enough to claim a second away win of the season.

But Middlesbrough, who have not won at the Riverside in the Sky Bet Championship since before Christmas, could not conjure up anything to reduce the arrears.

Despite a 69 per cent share of the possession, Middlesbrough did not have a shot on target and are now 11 points off the top six.

Carrick, whose side beat leaders Leicester seven days earlier, said: “That’s football. The challenge is being successful in the league and to be able to put performances together and results together, every game is different, and we are not getting that mix right at all.

“We know what we are capable of on any given day, but this was not one of those days. As a group, I will take the hit today in terms of decisions I make and how I put the team out. That was on me.

“The boys tried and gave their best today. The longer it went the harder it became, that’s on me today. I will take that one.

“Not many things went right to be truthful. We had an idea of how it would go, what we wanted to do, the way we play. It didn’t pan out that way, that’s on me.”

Plymouth were delighted with their performance on the back of a run of four games without a win. They could have scored more in the first half.

Ian Foster, who took over at the start of the year, said: “The boys were outstanding to a man, and it was probably the perfect away performance. We had a strategy, a game plan and the players implemented it brilliantly.

“I’m disappointed it was only two at half-time and the second half was terrific in terms of our tactical discipline and transition, the building up.

“We don’t get too disappointed when results don’t go our way and we won’t get too excited when they do. We will get results we don’t like and we will enjoy them when we do get the ones we like.

“In terms of a new coach coming in, and the games we have had, the players have done everyone proud.

“I don’t think it has been a turnaround after recent results. Our levels have been very good.”

Plymouth piled further home misery on Middlesbrough by claiming a much-needed 2-0 win at the Riverside Stadium.

Frustrations grew on Teesside after failing to end a wait since before Christmas for a home victory in the Sky Bet Championship; a run that has stretched to five matches.

Matthew Sorinola’s opener in the seventh minute was followed by Ryan Hardie’s 13th goal of the season in the 31st minute to put Plymouth on track for only their second away win.

Plymouth deserved it too after a first half when Middlesbrough looked nervous in possession at times and defensively unable to thwart danger.

Considering Middlesbrough stunned leaders Leicester a week earlier, and Plymouth’s away troubles, it was the visitors who looked full of confidence and intent in the first half.

It did not take long for Ian Foster’s side to take the lead.

After the visitors were gifted possession on halfway, Plymouth attacked and Darko Gyabi was allowed to curl towards the far post where Tom Glover dived to stop.

The goalkeeper did not do enough to get the ball out of harm’s way and Sorinola was on hand to force beyond Glover and secure his first goal since moving to the Pilgrims from Belgium in January.

The only decent opportunity Middlesbrough created was when Marcus Forss was denied by Conor Hazard after moving to the near post to meet Lewis O’Brien’s cross. The flag went up anyway.

Otherwise Plymouth – who made three changes to the side which lost 3-0 to West Brom – put the red shirts under a lot of pressure defensively when they were on the ball and got their rewards.

Glover had already fumbled an effort from Morgan Whittaker before the second arrived just after the half-hour mark.

Hardie was picked out in too much space by the lively Gyabi. The striker’s first touch was perfect before he was allowed to cut inside and curl round Rav van den Berg and finish in the far corner.

As the boos and jeers got louder Plymouth kept pushing.

Adam Randell almost had a third soon after when he was allowed to run through the centre of the pitch and shoot. Glover stopped the first and then charged forward to block the rebound.

There was another save for Glover to make at his near post after Whittaker had been played in down the right and Middlesbrough reached half-time needing a complete reset. It did not come.

Plymouth were first to go close again after the restart. Gyabi’s pass into the area was collected by Hardie, whose first touch rounded Hazard but the angle was too tight to find the net.

Riley McGree missed the target from distance soon after and that was as close as Middlesbrough got. The Aussie was replaced, along with Finn Azaz, as head coach Michael Carrick looked for an injection from Emmanuel Latte Lath and Sam Greenwood.

Yet Jordan Houghton’s low drive was next to arrive and, despite plenty of possession, Middlesbrough could not create anything of real note.

When they eventually did, Sammy Silvera’s shot went for a throw-in when he was unmarked at the back post in the latter stages.

Michael Carrick praised Middlesbrough’s incredible spirit after an impressive 2-1 victory at Championship leaders Leicester ended a four-game winless run.

Boro completed a league double over the Foxes after Finn Azaz produced a cool finish into the top left corner from Lewis O’Brien’s square pass to break the deadlock in the 24th minute before Samuel Silvera powered home to double the lead eight minutes before half-time.

Despite Jamie Vardy finding the bottom left corner with five minutes left to play from Tom Cannon’s ball in behind, Boro held on to claim their first win at the King Power Stadium and inflict a first home defeat on the Foxes since November.

The visitors remain seven points off the play-off places and Carrick insists his side have plenty more to offer after securing just their second league victory since the turn of the year.

Carrick said: “The spirit and the will to win was there, tactically the boys understood it, the boys were so eager to carry it out, it’s not easy as we’ve taken a few hits lately, the spirit was incredible.

“I’m just happy the boys had something go their way for a change, they deserve it because they’re an unbelievable group to work with, it doesn’t surprise me.

“The players are happy without being overly happy which is good, they’re eager to bring on what’s next, there was almost a feeling we could have scored one or two more and made it a little bit easier, they had chances towards the end, but there’s a good sense that that is still not enough, we want some more.

“We played very similar to how we played at home against them, they put five across their top line, it was just different personnel and the boys did their specific jobs unbelievably well and I was really pleased they took that on board.”

Leicester missed a number of gilt-edged chances throughout as Jannik Vestergaard twice failed to hit the target from close range while substitute Vardy blazed over the bar shortly before he reduced the deficit.

The Foxes saw their eight-game unbeaten run at home come to an end although Leicester boss Enzo Maresca was pleased his side kept fighting until the final whistle despite lacking quality in the final third.

Maresca said: “It was just one of those days you have to drop points, we created many chances before their goal, we pushed until the end and tried until the end and that’s the most important thing.

“Even playing a different way we created a lot of chances, we tried to adjust and adapt, we lost a little bit of balance after we conceded the first goal and we conceded some counter attacks which we need to avoid.

“We missed the last pass, even with these things that we need to improve, we had many chances that we missed, we were close, it’s part of our season, we can’t think we’re going to win every game.

“We have 13 games, we need to win some more games to reach our target, it’s not easy, you can drop points every game in the Championship, from now on all the games are important, we didn’t drop in terms of commitment, it was a lack of quality in the last third.”

Middlesbrough claimed their first win at the King Power Stadium with a 2-1 victory over Championship leaders Leicester.

After the Foxes missed two big chances to take the lead, Finn Azaz opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a clever finish from Lewis O’Brien’s square pass before Samuel Silvera’s emphatic strike after 37 minutes extended Boro’s advantage.

Substitute Jamie Vardy halved the deficit in the 85th minute, producing an excellent finish into the bottom left corner, but Boro held on to end a four-game winless run and complete the double over Leicester.

The Foxes, who lost at home for the first time since November, are now nine points in front of second-placed Leeds – their next opponents on Friday.

The home side spurned a golden opportunity to take the lead after five minutes when Jannik Vestergaard headed Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s cross from the right into the side netting from five yards.

Leicester missed another gilt-edged chance soon after as Patson Daka somehow miscued his close-range header, sending the ball across the face of goal.

Moments later, Abdul Fatawu cut in from the right and saw his goalbound effort blocked behind by Matt Clarke.

Boro took full advantage of those missed opportunities to break the deadlock when Silvera released O’Brien in behind and the midfielder squared the ball across the box to Azaz who coolly lifted into the top left corner.

Foxes defender Ricardo Pereira then made a crucial interception as he cut out O’Brien’s square ball after Boro caught Leicester on the counter attack from their own corner.

However, the visitors doubled their lead after Stephy Mavididi played a short pass to James Justin from a throw-in and Riley McGree pounced to slip in Silvera who smashed the ball into the left corner of the goal.

Leicester searched for a way back into the game before the break as Fatawu’s shot from 20 yards dipped narrowly over the crossbar before Dewsbury-Hall saw his effort deflect over the top.

Boro could have extended their lead early in the second half when Azaz lifted a pass through to McGree and Foxes goalkeeper Mads Hermansen hesitated coming off his line only for the midfielder to carry the ball out of play.

McGree then curled a free-kick inches wide of the post from 25 yards after Wout Faes bodychecked Azaz to break up a promising Boro attack.

Leicester should have reduced the deficit when Kasey McAteer played a ball across the box to fellow substitute Vardy only for the veteran striker to blaze his shot over the bar from close range before Vestergaard repeated the feat moments later.

However, Vardy made amends for his earlier miss five minutes from time when he produced a clinical finish into the bottom left corner after racing onto Tom Cannon’s ball in behind the Boro defence.

The Foxes were unable to find a leveller as Boro put their bodies on the line to win away at Leicester for the first time since September 2001 and bring an end to the home side’s four-game winning run.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe believes the anniversary of Sir Tom Finney’s death inspired his side to their 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough.

The club marked the 10th anniversary of the death of the Preston and England great by sporting special edition kits in honour of the famous number seven.

An ovation in the seventh minute seemed to rouse the Lilywhites and goals from Liam Millar and Emil Riis took them to the brink of the play-offs.

“It did give us extra motivation,” said Lowe. “We wanted to have a bit of a celebration because I think that’s what it was, we wanted to show the family and our fans what we can do.

“It was important that we got a win on the back of that because there can be too much pressure on it.

“I’ve obviously got to be mindful of the fact that we have a game to play and try and win and it was a great occasion.

“We kept it simple, we knew what we were here to do, we respected the occasion and I think we’ve sent the Finney family and all of our fans home happy.”

The Lilywhites went in front in the 23rd minute when Millar brought down Matt Clarke’s attempted clearance with his right foot and fired a left-footed shot past Tom Glover from just outside the box.

Boro continued to push for a leveller and it arrived through Finn Azaz in the 57th minute, opening his account for the club with a rocket of a shot into the top corner from 20 yards out.

Boro soon found themselves behind again, though, with Riis tapping home on the hour-mark – his sixth goal in as many games for Preston against Boro – after Will Keane’s shot deflected and fell kindly to him.

It earned Lowe’s side their third league win in a row and they are outside of the top six only on goal difference.

“The lads are dead on their feet, they’ve worked their socks off,” said Lowe. “Their resilience, wow, it’s massively pleasing.

“Sometimes you can’t help but drop the way we dropped and soak it up. We gave the ball away a couple of times, or more than a couple of times, to let them have penetration on us and we need to nullify it and stop it.

“But then for us to show that resilience and character and desire to get right back into the game right afterwards (after the equaliser) was massively pleasing.”

Boro, meanwhile, are without a win in four Championship games and have slipped seven points adrift of the play-off places.

“I think it’s a tough result to take for sure,” said manager Michael Carrick. “I think the results definitely aren’t going our way. I thought tonight we definitely deserved an awful lot more from the game.

“But we’re not getting it, so we need to accept that and we’ve got to do something about it.

“I can’t fault the boys in terms of effort. Some of the quality of the play was really, really good, but we’ve definitely not got the balance between performance and results at the moment.

“They hadn’t had a touch in our box and we were 1-0 down today. That was the only time they’d gone up there.

“It’s happened probably two or three times over the last six weeks or so. With that, there’s a lot of good things.

“There’s a lot of good things in the game, but those moments are going against us and we have to accept that and we’ve got to do something about it.”

Preston moved to within goal difference of the Sky Bet Championship play-offs after beating Middlesbrough 2-1 to claim a third consecutive win.

Emil Riis scored the winner in the 60th minute after Finn Azaz’s superb strike cancelled out Liam Millar’s first-half opener.

The victory secures a vital three points for Preston on a night when the club marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Sir Tom Finney with a rousing seventh-minute applause.

The visitors started well and nearly took the lead in the 11th minute, when Sam Greenwood’s deflected shot forced a good save out of Freddie Woodman after an interception from defender Greg Cunningham – an early substitute for the injured Andrew Hughes – fell into his path.

The pressure kept on building thereafter and it was completely against the run of play that the Lilywhites, sporting a special edition kit in memory of Finney, went in front in the 23rd minute.

Millar brought down Matt Clarke’s attempted clearance with his right foot and fired a left-footed shot past Tom Glover from just outside the box.

Leeds loanee Greenwood came close to equalising just beyond the half-hour mark, but his well-struck effort from distance went narrowly wide.

Shortly after the half-time interval, January signing Azaz’s attempt deflected wide as Boro continued to push for the leveller.

And it arrived through the same player in the 57th minute, opening his account for the club with a rocket of a shot into the top corner from 20 yards out.

Boro soon found themselves behind again, though, with Riis tapping home on the hour-mark – his sixth goal in as many games for Preston against Boro – after Will Keane’s shot fell very kindly to him.

Michael Carrick’s side did not let their heads drop and came close to equalising once more moments later, with captain Jonny Howson’s attempt only being directed off target by a defensive header.

Woodman had to be alert again in the 70th minute to keep out Marcus Forss’ volley from close range.

Luke Thomas worked space for a shot inside the final 10 minutes, but the Leicester loanee dragged his attempt past the post and that proved to be their last real opportunity.

Preston are now in ninth place on 48 points – level with sixth-placed Coventry, seventh-placed Norwich and eighth-placed Hull – while Boro are seven points back.