Middlesbrough beat Stoke to ease pressure on Carrick

Middlesbrough's under-fire manager Michael Carrick earned some breathing space as Finn Azaz and Tommy Conway gave the Championship side a 3-1 win at Stoke on Tuesday.

Carrick's team had lost their five previous games amid mounting doubts about the former Manchester United star's job security.

But Middlesbrough quelled the sack talk for now with a commanding second half performance.

Stoke's South Korean star Bae Jun-ho cancelled out Marcus Forss' first goal of the season, but 11th-placed Middlesbrough responded to keep alive their spluttering play-off challenge.

Conway set up Azaz to restore Middlesbrough's lead after 52 minutes.

And the duo combined again 21 minutes later, with Conway bagging his 10th goal of the campaign.

Furious Stoke fans chanted "you're not fit to wear the shirt" as their team dropped to only five points above the relegation zone.

Callum Robinson scored his 12th goal this season as Cardiff clinched a vital 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Hull in the Welsh capital.

Republic of Ireland striker Robinson broke the deadlock with a powerful volley in the 52nd minute.

Cardiff moved above Hull to 19th place and sit six points clear of third-bottom Plymouth.

Hull, in 21st place, are just three points above the relegation zone.