Ramirez punishes former club Hull

Middlesbrough - Middlesbough's Uruguayan international Gaston Ramirez scored against one of his former clubs Hull to secure his present team a crucial 1-0 win in their Premier League clash on Monday.

Victory sees Middlesbough - winning at home for only the second times this term - move four points clear of the relegation spots whilst Hull remain mired in the bottom three after their fifth successive away defeat.

Middlesbrough ran the game in the first-half, largely thanks to Ramirez, who had a spell on loan at Hull, with the visitors desperately short of ideas or ambition.

However, the hosts - who had garnered just four points from their previous six home matches - couldn't convert pressure and possession into goals.

Viktor Fischer - preferred to the impressive 19-year-old Adama Traore - did have the ball in the net after he was unselfishly fed by Alvaro Negredo but the linesman flagged for offside.

Negredo had had a great chance early on having been picked out by Marten de Roon he got free of the static Hull defence but he lofted the ball over David Marshall in the Hull goal.

Ramirez decided to have a go himself and he fired in a fierce effort but again failed to break the deadlock as Marshall got down well to save.

The one time Hull conjured something out of an attack Middlesbough captain Ben Gibson recovered to pull off a brilliant tackle on striker Adama Diomande.

The hosts dominated the second-half as well forcing a succession of corners and deservedly went in front on the hour mark through the impressive Ramirez.

The 26-year-old shook off the attentions of the ponderous Diomande and headed home at the back post for his second goal of the season.

Hull tried their best to fashion a chance and level but despite some good work by Scotland international Robert Snodgrass they came up with nothing to trouble Victor Valdes in the hosts goal.

Indeed the three-time Champions League winner had to wait till stoppage time to be forced into action.

Diomande - who had been starved of possession all evening - showed a deft touch on the ball and produced a superb curling effort from outside the penalty area only for the Spanish 'keeper to turn it away for a corner.