Norwich City 1-0 Middlesbrough
- Published
Referee Mike Jones shows Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede a straight red card
Middlesbrough had striker Rudy Gestede sent off in the first half as they lost ground on the Championship play-off places with defeat at Norwich.
Gestede was shown a straight red for a lunge on Grant Hanley, five minutes after being booked for a high foot.
Canaries midfielder Tom Trybull celebrated a new contract by rifling in from long-range just before half-time.
James Maddison went close with a free-kick and Nelson Oliveira was twice thwarted as Boro toiled with 10 men.
Tony Pulis' side slipped a place to ninth, six points adrift of the final play-off spot, while Norwich stayed 13th - two points further back.
German midfielder Trybull, 24, signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal before kick-off and marked his return from injury with a crisp strike to beat Darren Randolph.
Boro had won their previous three away games but managed just 26% of possession - not helped by Gestede's dismissal after just 28 minutes.
Daniel Farke brought on German forward Onel Hernandez for his debut late on as Norwich saw out a fourth league victory in five with relative ease.
Norwich head coach Daniel Farke told BBC Radio Norfolk:
"I'm very pleased - it was a well-deserved win in a really concentrated, disciplined game and we didn't give one change away.
"It's not so easy when you have to create chances against a squad that's always well-organised, and after a red card they sit back a bit deeper.
"To be honest I wasn't so happy with the red card because I knew what would happen - they tried to park the bus in front of the goal and it's even more difficult to create chances, and you always have to be awake to control all the counters."
Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis told BBC Tees:
"Up until the sending off we've created the better opportunities and the better chances.
"The sending off - I've just watched it three or four times - Rudy (Gestede) goes into the challenge but plays the ball. (Grant) Hanley then follows in after Rudy has played the ball.
"I've seen challenges this week in the Premier League that have been 10 times worse than that challenge and they haven't been shown red cards."