MX23RW : Sunday, January 12 12:39:08| >> :600:105665:105665:
[monks data]
Fulham logo
Championship
Apr 25, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Middlesbrough logo

4-3

Turner (45'), McCormack (55' pen., 67' pen., 94')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Reach (63'), Ayala (73'), Kike (88')

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka: 'We had to gamble at Fulham'

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka defends the decision that condemned his side to defeat at Fulham - sending goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos up for a late corner.

Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka is standing by his costly decision to send goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos forward for a late corner in their 4-3 defeat at Fulham.

The Spaniard signalled to his towering Greek stopper to venture into the box in stoppage time, but the Whites quickly regained possession, went on the counter, and netted a winner through Ross McCormack.

However, Karanka insists that he was right to gamble as a draw would have been a setback in their pursuit of automatic promotion to the Premier League.

"Now I am sitting here at the table one point might have been enough but at that time I preferred to take risks so I told him to go," Sky Sports News quotes the Boro boss as saying.

"When you take a risk and you concede a goal the following day you can say that it was because you took a risk. But the problem with not taking a risk is that you will never know what would have happened if you did.

"It will be difficult now because Bournemouth have two more games and one win will be no problem. But our aim was to get into the playoffs. We wanted the playoffs two or three weeks ago."

The result leaves Boro in third place in the Championship table, level on points with second-placed Bournemouth, who have a game in hand.

ID:219271: cacheID:219271:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2525:
Written by
Mark Langshaw
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka during the Capital One Cup First Round match between Oldham Athletic and Middlesbrough at Boundary Park on August 12, 2014
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Late Turner header gives Fulham the lead
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Steelers
14-28
Ravens
6pm
Broncos
@
Bills
9.30pm
Packers
@
Eagles
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds26158348192953
2Burnley26141023192252
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd26166436171952
4Sunderland26148439221750
5Middlesbrough26118743321141
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom26913432211140
7Blackburn RoversBlackburn2511682823539
8Bristol City2691073330337
9Watford25114103536-137
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2610793840-237
11Norwich CityNorwich269984337636
12Swansea CitySwansea2697103030034
13Queens Park RangersQPR2671182934-532
14Millwall257992423130
15Preston North EndPreston2661282834-630
16Coventry CityCoventry2678113437-329
17Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2577112840-1228
18Derby CountyDerby2676133135-427
19Stoke CityStoke2669112432-827
20Luton TownLuton2674152744-1725
21Portsmouth2458113041-1123
22Hull City2658132536-1123
23Cardiff CityCardiff2558122540-1523
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2548132453-2920


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!