Leeds manager Daniel Farke believes Leeds’ 4-3 victory over Middlesbrough was a “good advertisement” for Championship football.

An end-to-end encounter at the Riverside produced five goals in just the first half, starting with the hosts taking an early lead through Isaiah Jones.

Leeds netted two goals in 11 minutes when Summerville slotted home from the spot and Patrick Bamford came back to haunt the Riverside after bundling a goal home.

Emmanuel Latte Lath drew Boro level on the 30 minute mark but Wilfried Gnonto restored the visitors’ advantage in a frenetic first 45 minutes.

Summerville bagged his second of the game after the break with a curling strike and there was late drama when Latte Lath scored a looping header in the 87th minute but Leeds held on for the three points.

Reflecting on a thrilling clash, Farke believes his players showed “great mentality” to see out victory.

He said: “First of all a good advertisement for Championship football, I think all the supporters have enjoyed the game.

“(It was) a great piece of football from two good sides who really went for it to win this game.

“To start the game with this unlucky goal, deflected pass that normally wouldn’t have been a chance, they scored out of this.

“Middlesbrough played today with freedom because it was more or less their last highlight, they could go for it and had a really good shape, then they are 1-0 up after just a few moments.

“To show such a reaction in the first half to come back to create so many chances, to score fantastic goals, was great for us to have.

“Compliments to Middlesbrough, they showed a fantastic performance, but great mentality from our players to lead 3-2 at half-time.

“We needed to show some steel and resilience in the last minutes to dig in and grind out this important result for us and we did.

“Many compliments for the heart, the mentality and the character of our players today and for their offensive quality.”

The result means Leeds climb to second in the table, overtaking Ipswich who have three games left this season compared to the Yorkshire club’s two.

Boro remain ninth in the table and boss Michael Carrick praised his side for their “incredible effort” but believes Gnonto’s goal, which appeared to be offside, was a “massive decision” in the game.

“I enjoyed the game, I thought we did a lot of good things,” he said.

“They’ve got some good quality and they’ve showed it all season. At the top end of the pitch they’re really dangerous.

“I thought we defended largely in shape really well, we were really good with the ball and dominated and controlled large parts of the game.

“I was really pleased with the boys and the effort was an incredible effort all the way to the end. We went for it, we had to go for it, we threw everything at them.

“The offside goal is a massive decision. We asked the boys to defend well and hold the line together, the line’s impeccable really and I think there’s three of them in the line around the edge of the box hold the line.

“You expect offsides given, which it was too clear not to be.”

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was “proud” of his team’s performance in the thrilling 1-1 home draw with Middlesbrough which put them one point clear at the top of the Championship.

Town went into the game looking to take advantage after seeing automatic promotion rivals Leicester and Leeds lose to Plymouth and Blackburn respectively.

Boro took the lead after 20 minutes through a header from Emmanuel Latte Lath but Town struck back 10 minutes later when Massimo Luongo crashed home a corner by Leif Davis.

Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky produced two wonderful saves, firstly from Isaiah Jones and then Matt Clarke, to keep the scores level.

McKenna said: “Frustration isn’t my feeling at the moment. Maybe it will be tomorrow but at the moment it’s pride around the performance.

“I thought it was a brilliant game, I thought the performance was excellent against a good side and I was really proud of how we went about our business really.

“I thought we played brilliant, we played confident, tactically it was a really good battle, we created plenty of chances to win the game and I thought it was a really good performance.

“Over the course of the last two games could we have had an couple of extra points, for sure we could we have lost today, Vaz (Hladky) produces a great save at the end.

“The players have given everything and what’s more pleasing for me is the performance and at the end of the season we will get as many points that we get, I don’t think they are going to leave an ounce of effort out there.

“I really liked the way we went about our business and at the end of the day we pick up a point from a really good performance and we have a little bit of recovery now and look forward to last week and three great games.”

Middlesbrough head coach Michael Carrick was happy with a share of the spoils in the end.

He said: “It’s a tough place to come and you can see they’re a really good team, confidence is high and they’re in a really good place.

“Their record here is really good so it was always going to be challenging to come here, which makes it probably a decent point in isolation.

“But, for us, we came here to win and we wanted to win, so it’s a bit of mixed feelings really overall.

“We know what we needed [as far as play-off hopes were concerned]. It doesn’t change what we do for the next game, though.

“We want to finish the season strongly and continue to do the right things. We’re on a decent run at the moment and we want to try and keep building on that. The aim is to just try and keep winning football matches really.

“There are a lot of good things again. There are things we need to improve upon and be better at but there are some good things that we can take from it.

“We’ve been doing that for a number of games now which is pleasing. But we still want to be coming to places like this and winning. We tried to but we just didn’t quite pull it off.”

Ipswich moved a point clear at the top of the Championship after a thrilling 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at Portman Road.

Town went into the game looking to take advantage after seeing automatic promotion rivals Leicester and Leeds lose to Plymouth and Blackburn respectively.

In a breathless first half the visitors took the lead through a header from Emmanuel Latte Lath but Town struck back 10 minutes later when Massimo Luongo crashed home a corner by Leif Davis.

Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky produced two wonderful saves, firstly from Isaiah Jones and then Matt Clarke, to keep the scores level deep into the second period.

Ipswich were on the front foot from the start but Middlesbrough were carving out their own chances and they got their noses in front after 20 minutes when a cross from Leeds loanee Luke Ayling found Ivorian striker Latte Lath, who headed home.

There were strong shouts for handball after Boro defender Clarke blocked a cross from Axel Tuanzebe but referee Sam Allison ruled it out and awarded a corner from which Town equalised as Luongo came rushing in at the far post and fired the ball home via the underside of the bar.

Town almost immediately took the lead when Jeremy Sarmiento was played through by Conor Chaplin and chipped Seny Dieng as he rushed off his line.

It looked like it was going into the net but it clipped a post. Ali Al-Hamadi tried for the rebound with a back-heel flick but it was blocked.

Boro wasted a great chance to take the lead just before half-time when they countered down the left through Sammy Silvera.

Latte Lath’s first shot was deflected, with a handball shout from the visitors, before the second went out for a corner from which former Norwich midfielder Jonny Howson headed wide.

A dazzling run by Omari Hutchinson saw him leave Middlesbrough defenders in his wake and as he closed in on goal his shot was deflected over the bar by Danish defender Lukas Engel.

As both teams pushed Hladky had to dive to his right to deny Boro substitute Sam Greenwood after Town skipper Sam Morsy lost possession while at the other end Dieng parried away a shot from Hutchinson.

Hladky produced two wonderful saves to keep the game level. First he stopped Jones from point-blank range and then stretched to palm over a header from Clarke as the game drew to a nail-biting close.

Hull boss Liam Rosenior and Middlesbrough counterpart Michael Carrick are both adamant a top-six finish in the Championship remains within reach despite denting each other’s hopes.

An entertaining 2-2 draw between the sides at the MKM Stadium on Wednesday left them both six points adrift of the play-off spots, with Middlesbrough in ninth, one place ahead of Hull.

But with Hull having five matches of the campaign to play and sixth-placed Norwich and Boro both having four, Rosenior was refusing to draw a line through his side’s season.

“We need to take it to the wire and we have an opportunity to take it to the last day,” Rosenior said. “As we know anything can happen on the last day. Norwich have got tough games, we’ve got tough games.”

Rosenior, though, rued Hull’s inability to take three points despite outplaying for Middlesbrough for large spells after falling behind to Emmanuel Latte Lath’s sixth goal in his last eight matches.

Hull got on top and were well worth a leveller through Jaden Philogene’s cross-cum-shot while Seny Dieng then played Lewis O’Brien into trouble, which allowed Jean Michael Seri to steal in and put the Tigers deservedly ahead before half-time.

While Hull had opportunities to extend their lead, Boro had the final say as a swift break was finished by Finn Azaz, whose 71st-minute strike deflected off Alfie Jones before nestling in the net.

Rosenior added: “It’s the same story, I’m really proud of 99.9 per cent of the stuff we do but we just don’t take advantage and then we shoot ourselves in the foot.

“It’s what could end up – I’m not saying has done – costing us something that is so attainable with this group. That’s the painful thing at the moment for the lads and everyone involved in the club.

“We can see the potential is there but potential is nothing, you have to turn it into results. If we consistently play at that level for the next five games, we’ll come really close.

“We have to be perfect. I don’t mean by winning five games, I mean by managing moments. We have an outstanding football team at this level but we consistently haven’t taken advantage of the moments.”

Despite Middlesbrough walking away with just one point, Carrick was incredulous when asked if he and his side are still optimistic of finishing sixth or higher.

He said: “You’re kidding, aren’t you? Of course we are. One hundred per cent. It’s pretty obvious we’ve got to win the next game. Nothing’s changed from before this game.

“Norwich took a point (in a 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday), us and Hull have taken a point. There are games to play.

“Anything can happen in this league so there’s no way we’re giving up on anything just yet.”

v’s deflected second-half goal helped Middlesbrough claim a 2-2 draw at Hull but a point apiece does little to boost either side’s Sky Bet Championship play-off hopes.

Emmanuel Latte Lath followed up a brace in Boro’s 2-0 win over Swansea on Saturday with an early goal at the MKM Stadium but Jaden Philogene’s cross-cum-shot drew Hull level just before the half hour.

Middlesbrough goalkeeper Seny Dieng played Lewis O’Brien into trouble which allowed Jean Michael Seri to put the Tigers deservedly in the lead ahead of half-time but Azaz had the final say, albeit after his strike took a crucial final touch off Alfie Jones before nestling in the goal.

Both teams sit six points adrift of sixth-placed Norwich with Middlesbrough in ninth, one place ahead of Hull, who have a game in hand over their two rivals.

This was a missed opportunity for both sides, even if Middlesbrough extended their unbeaten run to eight matches and it was the visitors who stormed out of the traps after kick-off was delayed by a quarter of an hour due to heavy traffic in the area.

Hull’s defenders were caught on their heels and paid their price as Latte Lath bagged his sixth goal in his last eight matches.

Having taken six minutes to score in the reverse fixture, which Boro lost 2-1 in December, Latte Lath needed just four this time after stealing in behind a high line and steering beyond Ryan Allsop from an acute angle.

Hull gradually warmed to their task and were unfortunate Abdus Omur slipped at the vital moment in front of goal as his miskick sailed wide while Jacob Greaves’ header was clawed away by Dieng as Middlesbrough were hemmed into their own half.

Hull’s persistence was rewarded as the influential Philogene delivered a teasing ball that seemed to elude Ozan Tufan at the back post before sailing into the net.

While Hull awarded the 29th-minute goal to a celebrating Tufan, it was officially given to Philogene.

Luke Ayling headed off his line following Omur’s chip as Hull continued to pour forward but they were given a helping hand four minutes before half-time.

Dieng’s attempt to play out from the back backfired spectacularly as Seri nudged O’Brien off the ball on the edge of his own area before lashing into the top corner.

Despite being outplayed for most of the first half, Middlesbrough might have drawn level at the start of the second as Jonny Howson’s thunderous effort was palmed by Allsop into the path of Latte Lath, who got into a tangle and could not slot in the rebound.

Howson at the other end made a desperate intervention to block Seri’s goal-bound effort while Regan Slater drilled across the face of goal and wide as Hull looked to give themselves some breathing room.

Their inability to do so came back to haunt them as they were hit on the break in the 71st minute.

Azaz exchanged passes with Isaiah Jones before bearing down on goal and his shot ricocheted off Jones and over Allsop as Middlesbrough drew level.

Omur might have nicked victory for Hull in the closing stages after springing the offside trap and going clean through but he was denied by the legs of Dieng.

Michael Carrick praised his Middlesbrough players for digging deep and finding a way to win, in what Swansea boss Luke Williams described as an “atrocious game of football” at the Riverside.

Williams was furious after his side slumped to a 2-0 defeat that leaves the Swans just five points above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.

But Carrick’s Boro are now unbeaten in their last seven matches and are just six points off the play-off places ahead of Wednesday’s crucial trip to Hull.

Emmanuel Latte Lath came up with two moments of quality to secure Boro’s second home win in a week, with the Ivorian striking either side of half-time to take his tally for the season to 10 in the league and 12 in all competitions.

Latte Lath opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time then wrapped up the points 11 minutes from time with a clinical right-footed finish.

Carrick said: “I’m delighted to be honest. It’s the type of game that can pass you by if you don’t do the right things.

“I thought the boys were disciplined and effective and efficient in the work we wanted to do.

“We knew they’re good in taking the ball in possession. We were patient and disciplined, defended the box well and defended in our half well.”

Latte Lath now has five goals in nine games since returning from injury.

Carrick said: “Manu is coming into form. He’s had a big impact, he’s had a good return and hopefully there’s a few more in him.

“Hopefully his form carries on. When you’re on that run you want to keep surfing it. He’s definitely doing that. We have two or three challenging games coming up, we’ll need that impact player around the box.”

Boro’s rivals for the play-off places – Norwich, Hull and Coventry – all won on Saturday but Carrick said his players just need to concentrate on themselves as they look to force their way into the top six.

He said: “We’re coming from behind. We’ve put a bit of a run together, we just have to try and extend that as long as we can.

“Wednesday is a new challenge and will have a bit of a say on what the picture looks like after that. We just have to keep chipping away and see how we end up.”

Swansea mustered only one shot on target at the Riverside and have now won just one of their last six games.

Williams, who took over in January after leaving Notts County, said his players need to prove they should be part of his long-term plans at the club.

He fumed: “It was just an atrocious game of football, an absolutely diabolical example of the Championship.

“It would have been nicer if we’d won, at least we could have then pretended to be happy about something, but goodness me.

“There was nothing right about that. It was like going to a charity game in the summer, no atmosphere, a bit of talking in the crowd.

“The first goal was a comedy, the second one isn’t loads better. It’s hard to find anything good about today, especially when you don’t get any points.”

Michael Carrick revealed details of Middlesbrough’s scary 24 hours before securing a late 1-1 draw with promotion-chasing Southampton.

Emmanuel Latte Lath headed in a 90th-minute equaliser after Adam Armstrong had put Saints into the driving seat.

It had come after 70mph winds battered the south coast and forced a hairy two attempts at landing into Southampton Airport on Thursday.

Boro boss Carrick said: “We didn’t get to the hotel until about 10pm last night after our flight was abandoned coming into land.

“We were getting blown all over the place as we were trying to coming into land and then we ended up having to take off again. We almost got diverted to Birmingham.

“It was tasty. Some of the boys were slightly tetchy, it wasn’t pleasant.

“Some of the boys are talking about getting onto the coach on the way back!”

Middlesbrough have 11 injuries, including four centre-backs on the sidelines, which forced midfielder Jonny Howson into the backline.

Howson’s horrifically sliced attempt to clear Kamaldeen Sulemana’s cross gifted Armstrong the opener – his 19th goal of the season and 30th he has been involved with in the league.

“To go 1-0 down and Jonny playing centre-half, it felt like a long day but I’m proud of them,” said Carrick.

“The boys showed what they were capable of against a strong side and with the jabs the boys have had with injuries.

“A lot of teams have had injuries but it has been a revolving door. The boys have adapted unbelievably well.

“I am so so pleased with the boys. We felt we deserved something from the game. I enjoyed watching it. I was desperate for the boys to get something after their effort.”

Ivorian striker Latte Lath’s late header was his 10th of the season and made Saints pay after Che Adams missed a series of gilt-edged chances.

“Che will be frustrated he hasn’t scored,” said Southampton manager Russell Martin. “But it isn’t the reason we lose.

“We still need to defend properly and win the game 1-0.

“I’m really disappointed and frustrated. We should have scored three or four goals. If you aren’t going to score enough to win it you need to defend with your lives.

“The goal is rubbish, it is nowhere near as good a chance as any of ours but he has taken it well.

“We created a lot of chances and on another day we win with a lot of goals but we couldn’t get that next goal and it really hurt us.

“What better way to take out our frustration than on Monday in a really big game (away at promotion rivals Ipswich).

“The lads are annoyed. I was so angry straight after the game so I took a bit of time to talk to them because there was an opportunity there, especially with the result at Leicester (who lost 1-0 to Bristol City).

“But there will still be a lot of twists and turns and some crazy results because the end of the season does some crazy things to teams and people feel pressure in strange ways.

“The game on Monday is perfect for us to bounce back and no one needs to build it up at all.

“We will do everything we can to learn from today. Hopefully we can use the frustration and turn it into a positive.”

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 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.”

Daniel Farke saw two sides to his Leeds team in a pulsating 3-2 win over 10-man Middlesbrough at Elland Road which keeps them firmly in the Championship’s automatic promotion hunt.

Leeds attacked at pace in a frantic first half which saw all five goals scored, but Farke was just as pleased with the way they ground out the victory in the second period.

Farke admitted: “As a manager I liked the second half where we didn’t make mistakes. It was good game management.

“I can see why we are driven by our emotions and sometimes play the risky pass when we should take another option.”

Farke was delighted with his side’s showing against a team he rates as genuine play-off contenders.

He said: “I expected a great game against a tough side, and I judge them as one of our main competitors for the top six.

“It was important to be over-aggressive and fully committed (in the first half) against Middlesbrough, otherwise you are punished.

“The goals were a sign of how desperate we were and how we wanted to win.

“When you give moments away against a side like Middlesbrough, they will punish mistakes. Their first goal we opened up, and the second goal we were not fully switched on.

“Every fan who enjoys football must have enjoyed this game.”

Middlesbrough claimed an early lead as Emmanuel Latte Lath fired home at the near post, cutting in from the left after being set up by Alex Bangura.

Leeds hit back with two quickfire headers from Dan James and Crysencio Summerville as the visitors paid the price for being beaten in the air by two of the home side’s smallest players.

James got on the end of Sam Byram’s deep cross despite the attentions of two defenders and Summerville finished a cross from Archie Gray at the opposite post.

Middlesbrough lost experienced defender Paddy McNair to injury just after the half hour and his replacement, Matt Clarke, gave away the penalty from which Leeds scored their third.

Clarke used his arm to trip striker Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe scored from the spot.

Latte Lath reduced the arrears with a header from Dan Barlaser’s corner late in the first half but neither side were able to find the target after the break.

Boro goalkeeper Seny Dieng denied Patrick Bamford and Piroe with a late double save and Boro’s Sammy Silvera hit a post as the visitors played the final 30 minutes with 10 men following Anfernee Dijksteel’s second yellow card.

A disappointed Michael Carrick admitted his side could have got a point from the game had they taken their chances.

He said: “Disappointed is my overriding feeling. Not with the boys and their performance but with the result.

“We were up against it. We had issues that we need to fix a bit but in general there were loads of good things from it and we let it slip and should have got something from the game.

“We came here and played one of the top teams in the league and gave as good as we got. They look dangerous and can score goals.

“It’s something we have done pretty well lately – defend our goal. We need to do something about it (conceding away from home) to be where we want to be at the end of the season.

“We picked up a couple of setbacks and we had big moments in the game, but we were right in there and we should have got more from the game.”

Carrick admitted allowing Leeds chances in a full Elland Road made it harder for his side.

“In a stadium like this and a team like this they will have moments. In games like this that split second of thinking can be the difference,” he said.

“We were playing against a good team, and you’ve got to respect what they can do.”

Leeds maintained their unbeaten home Championship record this season with a pulsating 3-2 win over 10-man Middlesbrough which saw all of the goals scored in the first half.

Middlesbrough took the lead through an early strike by Emmanuel Latte Lath but Leeds responded to go ahead.

Dan James and Crysencio Summerville, two of the smallest players on the pitch, put Leeds in front with headers inside the first seven minutes.

The home fans had to wait until the 38th minute for a third which came via Joel Piroe’s penalty.

Boro had time to score a second before the break, with Latte Lath heading in from a corner, but the visitors had Anfernee Dijksteel sent off for a second yellow card just after the hour.

In a rapid start, the visitors took the lead as Alex Bangura sent Latte Lath down the left channel and he cut inside before firing in.

Leeds responded as James saw his chipped effort cleared off the line and Georginio Rutter had a shot blocked before Sam Byram’s deep cross from the left saw James rise above two defenders to nod home from close range.

Leeds were soon in front when a cross from the right by Archie Gray was headed in by Summerville with seven minutes on the clock.

Middlesbrough worked a neat move down the right but when Morgan Rogers laid the ball back, Latte Lath shot over.

Illan Meslier kept out Latte Lath’s shot with his legs after Dan Barlaser had opened up the Leeds defence with a pinpoint pass.

Boro suffered a blow after half an hour as experienced defender Paddy McNair had to be replaced by Matt Clarke and his first involvement was to give away a penalty.

A poor clearance by goalkeeper Seny Dieng was played to Rutter and as he tried to go around Clarke they both fell, with Clarke sticking out an arm to bring down the striker as he tried to regain his feet.

Piroe stepped up to score the penalty and give Leeds a two-goal cushion.

Boro grabbed their second with the last effort of the first half as Latte Lath rose above Byram to head in a Barlaser corner.

Ethan Ampadu’s pass sprung the offside trap and Rutter should have done better with a low shot which curled off target as Leeds started the second period well.

Middlesbrough were reduced to 10 men just after the hour as referee Darren England showed Dijksteel a second yellow card for a poor challenge on James.

Rutter’s low cross with 20 minutes left was cleared by Bangura as Leeds were kept out once more.

But Boro were denied an equaliser by a post as substitute Sammy Silvera’s shot came back off the woodwork with 15 minutes remaining.

Dieng’s double save kept out Patrick Bamford’s header and Piroe’s follow-up late on.

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick praised his side as they overcame spirited Exeter to win a cracking Carabao Cup fourth round clash at St James Park 3-2.

League One Exeter took a shock lead with a stunning Ryan Trevitt strike but two goals in quick succession from Morgan Rogers and Sammy Silvera turned the tie on its head at the start of the second half.

Trevitt levelled things up with another brilliant long-range strike but went from hero to villain as his needless shirt pull on Rogers inside the penalty box allowed Emmanuel Latte Lath to settle a pulsating clash in the Championship side’s favour from the spot eight minutes from time.

“It’s kind of what you come to expect with games like this, there was obviously a lot to play for and a lot at stake,” Carrick said.

“I thought we started all right and we had a lot of the ball. We played OK without really looking dangerous, but we had enough of the ball and then they scored an unbelievable strike from nowhere and it gave them a lot in the game then to hold on to.

“In the second half I thought we took it up a level, the spaces started to open up, which we exploited, and we scored some really good goals, so I am delighted to be through.

“I am delighted for the travelling supporters – 1,000 came down on a Tuesday night, which is absolutely amazing – and I am delighted the goals were in front of them, so they could celebrate.

“We made a few changes to the team and it is not always easy to click straight away, so we were calm at half-time and just said to keep believing, keep penetrating the spaces and playing positively and they did that.

“There were some terrific goals as well, we probably could have had more but it was a good tie for the neutral with plenty of good goals as well.”

Exeter were aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history and manager Gary Caldwell cut a proud but frustrated figure at full-time.

“It was a brilliant performance, loads of effort and endeavour,” he said. “We got asked serious questions against a top side, a potential Premier League side, next season.

“It wasn’t for the want of trying we went out of the Cup. All credit to the players, they gave everything and we got beaten by the better team tonight. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up to that and we wish them well in the next round.

“It was a brilliant atmosphere in the stadium right from kick-off, the players took that on board and we had a clear game plan.

“It was a poor start to the second half but a great reaction and Trevitt scored an amazing goal and, at that point, it was game on and it was a proper cup tie. But a soft penalty decides it.”