Middlesbrough boss delivered this verdict on Sunderland win and what his team got right

Michael Carrick praised his Middlesbrough players after they ruthlessly exploited Dan Neil's red card on the stroke of half time to run out 4-0 winners at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

The two teams had played out a tight first half, and Carrick was pleased with the way his players dealt with the intensity and atmosphere.

After Neil's controversial second yellow for dissent they ran out emphatic winners in the second half, with Sam Greenwood and Matt Crooks scoring quickly after the interval before Isaiah Jones and Marcus Forss added the third and fourth.

Carrick said he was not aware of what had happened with Neil's second yellow, but admitted he had been surprised with the decision.

He praised his players for going on to take full advantage.

"I'm obviously delighted," Carrick said." It's a terrific result, a really good day, at not an easy place to come. They're a really good team, we knew it would be challenging but I thought we weathered that and started the game really well.

"The game changed on a couple of moments but playing against ten men can be difficult. We were conscious of that and we wanted to almost play like we had the ten men, that mentality. The boys did that so well. We spoke about it half-time. It’s a mentality thing.

"It’s so easy to assume having the man advantage will make it easier and subconsciously you slow down. You then lose your intensity with and without the ball. But we were conscious of that at the break and we said they almost had to work harder with the extra man.

"The boys did well and managed the game ever so well. They looked dangerous which was key. You can spend all day having the ball, but if you don’t do anything with it… The scoreline says everything about how good we were with the ball. We had a good balance, kept winning the ball back quick and eased the pressure.

"On paper, the man advantage should always make it an easy one, but it’s not always easy. The boys have done so well."

Carrick also praised Seny Dieng for making an excellent first-half save from Patrick Roberts, after the winger broke into the box with an excellent drive from near the halfway line.

"There was a big save from Seny in the first half," Carrick said.

"I thought Josh was fouled in front of us by Bellingham and they went up and nearly scored. He had to make a big save and that changed the game really, the energy.

"Up to that point, I thought we were controlling the game, then it flipped a little bit, as it does here, for five or six minutes. It was a massive save.

"The boys are doing well. We've had a good run of results. The signs were there and I was confident the performances and results would come. We're not getting too carried away but we'll make the most of the next two weeks and hopefully come back stronger."