Albert Adomah shows love for Aitor Karanka as Middlesbrough beat Brentford
Albert Adomah ran to hug Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka after coming off the bench to earn his side a 3-1 victory over Brentford.
Just two weeks after being denied a move away from Teesside, the Ghanaian winger set one up then scored a cracking third as Boro struggled to break down Brentford at the Riverside.
It was an enthralling finale to an end-to-end game which saw Uruguayan forward Christian Stuani bag his sixth and seventh goals of the season as Boro moved up to second in the Championship table.
Karanka's men created a half chance after just four minutes when Stuani nodded the ball into Emilio Nsue's path down the right and he pulled back for David Nugent but the striker fluffed his first-time effort.
Nsue and Stuani combined well again down the right, carving Brentford open in the 11th minute, but Stuani's teasing cross into the box was too far for Nugent and Diego Fabbrini in the danger area.
Nugent might have done better in the 18th minute when he found himself in plenty of space on the edge of the box, but with options on either side of him he opted to shoot and his tame effort was easily gathered by David Button.
Brentford looked bright and dangerous on the break, but it was Boro who kept probing.
Nugent won a free-kick about 20 yards from goal just before the half-hour, to the right edge of the box, but Stewart Downing's curling effort was just wide of Button's left-hand post.
The opening goal came in the 35th minute after some brilliant work by Nsue again on the right. He did well to keep the ball in before laying off for Fabbrini and the Italian's inch-perfect cross into the box was flashed in off the post by Stuani.
The visitors went close to a leveller three minutes before half-time when Maxime Colin did well to set up Marco Djuricin but after turning well his shot was just wide.
The Bees drew level four minutes into the second half when the ball was deflected back to Dimi Konstantopoulos and he shinned it straight to Vibe who poked in.
But Boro regained the lead in the 69th minute when substitute Adomah crossed from the right and Stuani hammered in from close range to bag his fifth goal in four games.
The Londoners should have levelled again just a minute later when Vibe found Djuricin at the far post but the Austrian striker blasted over, then Konstantin Kerschbaumer was denied by Konstantopoulous with a point-blank save.
But Boro bagged their third with 13 minutes to go when Nugent stormed forward before laying off for Adomah who hammered in from a tight angle.
Source: PA
