MIDDLESBROUGH: Gaston Ramirez scored the winner against his former club as Middlesbrough beat fellow strugglers Hull City 1-0 to move clear of the English Premier League’s relegation zone on Monday.

The Uruguay midfielder, who was an influential figure throughout the match, peeled off his marker to head Adam Clayton’s corner down at the back post in the 60th minute for his third goal of the season.

Ramirez, who had a loan spell at Hull from Southampton in the 2014/15 season, thought he had helped set up the opener for Fischer after 33 minutes but it was disallowed for offside.

The win takes the hosts up three places to 13th on 15 points from 14 games before they visit Southampton on Sunday with Hull second-bottom on 11 points as they next host Crystal Palace.

Hull didn’t seriously threaten Middlesbrough goalkeeper Victor Valdes until stoppage time in the second half, when he flung himself to his left to tip aside Adama Diomande’s dipping shot.

It was only Middlesbrough’s second home win in their first season back in the Premier League and manager Aitor Karanka was delighted with the manner in which his players played for each other.

“We have 15 points, we must keep going and working together,” said Karanka, who admitted Middlesbrough would need many more such performances to assure themselves of a second season in the elite league.

“We have to fight with the teams in the relegation positions because we are a newly-promoted team. We have done nothing yet,” added the 43-year-old Spaniard.

His Hull counterpart Mike Phelan said his resources might be thin on the ground both financially and in terms of personnel but it was up to the players to produce something on the pitch.

“We tried to drag something out of it but it was really really disappointing,” said Phelan. “We gave away a ridiculous goal from a set piece, we all have jobs to do and we didn’t concentrate.

“We are short on the ground, we have added a couple but we are where we are because of the beginning of the season. We have to keep our heads above water,” added the 54-year-old Englishman.

Published in Dawn December 7th, 2016