Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock was full of praise for Wycombe Wanderers after his side defeated the Chairboys 3-1 at Adams Park.

Wanderers had taken the lead on three minutes when Uche Ikpeazu scored a stunning curling effort in only his second start for the club, before goals from Marcus Browne, Marcus Tavernier and Chuba Akpom sealed the points for Middlesbrough in the first league meeting between the two sides.

READ MORE: 'They were both brilliant' - Gareth Ainsworth praises both Uche Ikpeazu and Ryan Tafazolli

And despite Wycombe being bottom of the second tier, Warnock, who has been in charge of the club since June, believes that people shouldn’t dismiss the Chairboys’ fight against relegation this season.

Wycombe face Boro on the final day of the campaign.

Speaking after the match, Warnock said: “I would be proud if I was manager of both sides today.

“What Wycombe have done to be playing in the Championship is brilliant and Gareth is a miracle worker.

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“The lads gave him absolutely everything and I knew that we [Middlesbrough], had to do the same and if we did, we could win it through ability as we have got one or two decent players.

“All credit to them.”

The 72-year-old was also very complimentary of the way Wycombe defended after Ikpeazu’s stunner put the Chairboys 1-0 up.

Ryan Tafazolli, in only his fourth game of the season, had a positive display despite the defeat, and Josh Knight, whose loan deal with the Chairboys expires on January 3, was also very solid.

He continued: “I warned all my lads that if we wanted to compete with Wycombe, then we would need to do all the hard work and roll our sleeves up, because you don’t come to places like here and play pretty football.

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“It was one of the hardest performances we have faced.

“And I have told him a few times and I told him today, that he [Ainsworth] can’t get any more energy and effort from a team of lads.

“They ran their socks off and that’s all you can do as a manager.

“He must look over sometimes and think ‘how can we be in the Championship’ but his lads are so honest, and I wouldn’t write them off.

“Don’t write genuine lads off as they will be a few teams that don’t fancy coming here, and in some of their away games, they should have got points when they got beat late on, so good luck to them.”

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Finally, on Ikpeazu’s goal, he said: “It was a great goal.

“Even I turned around and went ‘wow’.”