Aitor Karanka hailed Middlesbrough hero Stewart Downing after he scored the only goal of the game at the Riverside on Tuesday evening as 'Boro defeated Rotherham 1-0. 

The former England international had surged through on goal and rifled into the bottom corner which ended up winning the tie for the Smoggies. This left them within a point of league leaders Hull City whom they play at the KC stadium on Saturday. 

Praise for Downing

Amid reports the winger had been unsettled at the Riverside Karanka was delighted with his performance in recent weeks. The Boro manager said that he is 'really pleased with him' and that this is the Stewart Downing everyone wants to watch.

Downing joined last seasons play-off finalists from West Ham in the summer for a huge fee of around £5 million, so expectations were already high. 

Karanka expects Stewart Downing to be a key player against Hull City as a win could lift Middlesbrough to the top of the Championship despite only one point separating the top five. The manager has now challenged Downing to continue his recent form because 'this is the level he has set now', Karanka however did acknowledge that it is difficult for Downing to move to the Championship from the Premier League due to the different nature of the the second tier.

Boro claim vital win

Boro's midweek win against Rotherham could prove to be vital as they have struggled in recent times against the bottom teams. Karanka was pleased that Boro are starting to learn how to see out games and that they are winning in under difficult circumstances. 

Despite being pleased with the three points Aitor Karanka was baffled as to why Boro couldn't score any further goals. He had expected them to sail home after a relatively early opener from Stewart Downing but he said that he felt that 'whenever everyone expected the second goal we were worse'.

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About the author
Jordan Jamison
Aspiring Sports Journalist. Chelsea and Rangers. twitter.com/@BeIgianwinger