Michael Carrick praised his players for not getting distracted by their Carabao Cup exploits as Middlesbrough rounded off an impressive week with a deserved 1-0 win over West Brom.
Boro beat Port Vale in midweek to reach the last four of the League Cup for the first time since winning the competition 20 seasons ago and have a two-legged tie with Chelsea to look forward to in the new year.
But Carrick is determined to ensure league form does not suffer and was delighted after his side’s victory over Albion as Boro closed the gap on the Championship’s top six to three points.
“Naturally after Tuesday and the highs and the draw and people talking about Chelsea, I thought our mentality was top quality to reset and start again and put a top performance in,” Carrick said after Morgan Rogers’ first-half goal secured a third successive win in all competitions.
“There was so much to take from it. It was a proper performance and a proper win.
“It’s been an excellent week and for different reasons. The battling performance at Swansea wasn’t pretty, but we found a way to win. The boys showed plenty of courage to do that.
“The performance in midweek was totally different. It was a different environment and a very good performance for what we needed on that occasion.
“And then today, I felt we showed a bit of all sorts against a really good team. The boys will take a lot from it, I’m sure.”
Rogers, a summer signing from Manchester City, has played most of his football as a substitute so far for Boro this season but was handed a start after impressing and scoring against Port Vale in midweek.
He scored the winner against Albion five minutes before half-time and created a string of opportunities after the break as Boro pushed for more goals.
Carrick said: “He creates, he’s dangerous. He’s a huge talent. He’s fantastic to work with, he wants to learn and get better all the time and is desperate to give what he can for the team which is brilliant.
“He’s got a terrific attitude for the game and is showing his quality.
“You can see he’s growing here, he’s at home here and belongs here and you can see him growing all the time.”
West Brom remain fifth in the table but have now won just one of their last five games.
Boss Carlos Corberan had no complaints about the outcome at the Riverside.
He said: “I think the result was fair. I saw Middlesbrough in general were better than us. The early stages were balanced and we had a couple of possibilities to score a goal, but they made us defend deeper and found a way to attack us.
“When we did break their press we couldn’t create something. In the second half we needed to be more aggressive but couldn’t find the energy.
“Little by little Middlesbrough found a way to move us deeper. In the second half it was clear we needed to react and be more aggressive, but we lost the ball too often and they were comfortable defending against us.
“I like how Middlesbrough attack and defend. They will be fighting for the play-off positions because they have a very good squad with a very good coach.”
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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