Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka has described his side's 4-1 win over Ipswich Town as "massive" in their bid for automatic promotion.

Third-placed Boro swept Ipswich aside at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday to stay in the hunt for a top-two finish in the Championship.

While crediting their opponents, who are also hoping to reach the Premier League, Karanka believes that his team's performance warranted the victory.

"It was massive to win, we needed a performance today and I thought we were brilliant against a good, strong team," he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"We've played against a very strong team who finished the game with four strikers and the main thing is that we're eight points ahead of them in seventh."

Middlesbrough continue their Championship campaign on Tuesday when they travel to promotion rivals Derby County.