After his side's defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final, Aitor Karanka expressed his pride in his side's display when speaking to theOfficial Club Website.
The effort and determination of Karanka's side could not be questioned, but they simply lacked class in attack to place any pressure on the Manchester side, as strikes from David Silva and Sergiou Aguero sealed their fate.
Karanka said:"(City) showed they are really good team, and the best team won.
But I am really proud of my players because they've given a massive effort, from the first minute until the end.
We were trying to apply high pressure and the effort has been amazing.�
They were simply better than us. Can't complain. Every player in their squad is better than anyone is ours. Can't compete against them.
With aplethora ofdefensive injuries prior to the start of the game limiting Karanka's options,injuries in-game to Rudy Gestede and Bernardo Espinosa did not help Boro's cause as they struggled against the visitors, who have now kept seven consecutive clean sheets away from home.
Karanka added:An opponent like Man City can rest players like (John) Stones, Silva, and (Raheem) Sterling on Wednesday"
"We had one injury after 20 minutes and another at the start of the second half - you have to change everything but you have only one substitution left.
Photo: Adam Clayton squaring up to Sergio Aguero. #boro: pic.twitter.com/zdCkAf4OnV
"But for me, the most important thing today was what the team has done on the pitch.
We needed to recover our confidence, and the best way to do that is to work hard and stay together.
All attention now turns to retaining Boro's Premier League status, and with eleven games left and three points from safety, there is still a lot of work left to be done.
He added:I told them that going in this way, we will win games.�