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.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Gyokeres vs Madueke EPL teams vs PSG This would be so funny BELIEVE it or NOT - Italy will be playing in a CRICKET WORLD CUP before they play in a FOOTBALL WORLD CUP! IMAGINE someone told you just a Year ago that Ousmane Dembele would WIN The Ballon d'Or before Kylian Mbappe & Erling Haaland! Lionel Andres Messi is The First Player EVER in MLS histor...
Former Liverpool forward Carroll joins sixth-tier side in EnglandFormer Liverpool and Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has officially joined Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League South, which lies in the sixth-tier in England.Fenerbahce eye PSG duo after securing Duran and BrownAccording to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Fenerbahce are in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over deals for Mar...
WHAT HAPPENED?According to a report from Marca, Konate has already told the Liverpool leadership that he wouldn't mind leaving the club this summer, as long as Real Madrid make an offer for him. The Premier League champions are seriously considering cashing in on the Frenchman — who is into the final year of his contract at Anfield — amid fears that they might lose him for free next su...
Tottenham Hotspur are now plotting a surprise move for the Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha.Spurs need more midfield qualityAccording to GMS, they are looking to find out how much it would take to sign the Portuguese international this summer. He has not been able to hit top form since joining the German club, and Palhinha has been linked with a return to the Premier League.According to repo...
According to recent reports, former United defender Alvaro Carreras is on the cusp of joining Real Madrid. United had a buy-back clause that will expire in 2026, following the Spanish full-back's initial transfer to Benfica after a successful loan period with the Portuguese giants.As per Fabrizio Romano, Benfica has confirmed that it won't activate the clause included in Carreras' transfer deal to...
John Terry delivers verdict on Chelsea's title hopesChelsea legend John Terry believes his old side need some experience and have some way to go if they want to win the Premier League title.Chelsea secured a fourth-placed finish and won the Europa Conference League in 2024-25 with the youngest squad in the Premier League.Enzo Maresca’s side have carried that fine form into the new-look FIFA ...
Toni Kroos weighs in on Xabi Alonso's biggest problem at Real MadridReal Madrid legend Toni Kross has weighed in on what he believes is new manager Xabi Alonso's biggest concern ahead of the new season.Alonso’s side were dumped out of the Club World Cup in humiliating fashion, losing 4-0 to a PSG side that never really had to get out of first gear.Kroos, 35, believes the sides lack of defens...
Javier Tebas offers reason behind Barcelona's failed Nico Williams pursuitLa Liga president Javier Tebas as weighed in on why Barcelona ultimately failed in their pursuit of Athletic Club winger Nico Williams.The 22-year-old looked set to head to the Camp Nou before pulling out of the deal at the last minute and signing a massive ten-year deal with Athletic.It’s since been reported that Will...
Juventus eye shock move for SECOND unwanted Man United forwardJuventus have reportedly made Man United forward Marcus Rashford their priority target amid links with fellow wantaway star Jadon Sancho.The Serie A giants have been heavily linked with a move for Sancho, 25, following his return to Old Trafford from his loan at Chelsea.Several reports have suggested that United have accepted an offer o...
Al-Nassr eye move for AC Milan star Christian PulisicAl-Nassr have reportedly made AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic their new number one target as they continue their search for attacking reinforcements.According to journalist Rudy Galetti, the 26-year-old is the latest star to be linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League this summer.Al-Nassr are on the lookout for a new forward had have previou...
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Fixture schedule, group standings, knockout round, tickets, format & everything you need to know
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 New coach confirms Modric move to Milan
- 4 Bayern ready to rival Arsenal for Eberechi Eze and target move for Chelsea flop after losing Jamal Musiala to injury
- 5 Dominic Calvert-Lewin in talks with Newcastle as Man United circle
- 6 Marcus Rashford trains alone after returning to Man Utd for pre-season despite being given extra time off by Ruben Amorim to find new club
- 7 DAZN sports host nearly suffers wardrobe malfunction at CWC
- 8 Everton sign Villarreal striker Barry: The fans here are like crazy people, I like this!
- 9 Bayern Munich lay out terms for Luis Diaz
- 10 Chelsea's wage offer to Jadon Sancho revealed