Saturday 18 February 2017 19:09, UK
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka says Saturday's late FA Cup fifth-round win against Oxford is a "good lesson for the future".
Boro took a 2-0 first half lead in the tie at the Riverside Stadium, but found themselves pegged back within 60 seconds in the second period as Oxford drew level.
But an 87th-minute strike from Christian Stuani saw the Premier League outfit through to the quarter-final draw, with the incidents throughout the game something Karanka wants his side to learn from.
"I am really pleased because I had said before the game that Oxford are a really good team and that we had to be really careful to have the game completely under control because our approach to the game today was completely different," he said.
"Once again, when you think everything is done, you are making a big mistake, even playing against a really good League One team and you always have to be 150 per cent concentrated because when you stop, it is a big problem.
"Sometimes it is difficult to keep all the concentration, especially when you are playing against a League One team and winning 2-0, so we have to learn. We conceded two goals but we are into the next round and it is a good lesson for us for the future."
The winning goal came through two of Karanka's three substitutions with an assist for Alvaro Negredo and a goal for Stuani, and while the Spanish boss was full of praise for the latter, he was also quick to recognise his starting XI on Saturday.
"He [Stuani] is really important and for me, it is a shame at he is maybe not recognised for how good he is and how much he is helping us," Karanka added.
"His numbers since he arrived here have been amazing and today he appeared in a difficult moment, against Brighton last season he scored the most important goal so for me, it's a shame he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.
"I know when I put 11 players on the pitch that I have to think about the 90 minutes aand about the different competitions and today I knew that I had a very good team on the pitch and I have very good players on the bench.
"The players started to feel the pressure and when you put Negredo, Stuani and Gaston Ramirez on the pitch, they are good players so I am pleased for all of them, not just those three, but all the players who started the game that played really well."
Middlesbrough will now go into the pot for the quarter-final draw on Sunday, and Karanka is hoping for another favourable home draw that could see the side book a place in a Wembley semi-final.
"Hopefully [to have a home draw] but the most important thing was to win the game and to be in the draw," he said.
"Three years ago, nobody could have thought that Middlesbrough would be in the Premier League and in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup so we have to be really pleased, know that we have to keep working together and try to keep the momentum."
Oxford manager Michael Appleton was understandably disappointed with the eventual result, but urged his side to produce the same performances for the rest of the season in League One and the Checkatrade trophy.
"We're a little bit frustrated but obviously delighted with how they approached the second half of the game. If they out a string of performances like that together in the coming weeks, then we will still be competing on two fronts," he said.
"Once we got the first goal, the second came a lot quicker than you would expect it and it looked as if it was going to be one of those fantastic comebacks but it wasn't to be. We will move on very quickly but we've had a good run."
