DANIEL AYALA might not have had much sleep in the last seven days, but Aitor Karanka was delighted with the Middlesbrough defender’s razor-sharp reflexes during yesterday’s 2-1 win at Nottingham Forest.

Ayala scored Boro’s winning goal at the City Ground, stealing behind the Forest defence to head home from close range after Kelvin Wilson had miscued his defensive header, and also correctly predicted that Henri Lansbury would send his penalty straight down the middle when he talked tactics with Dimi Konstantopoulos prior to the spot-kick.

Boro’s victory capped a fine week for Ayala, whose partner gave birth to their first son, Arhlo, on Sunday.

The centre-half has had a few sleepless nights since the arrival of his baby, but he was still alert enough to play a pivotal role as his side claimed their third victory in the space of seven days.

Karanka said: “It has been a good week for him, and he also told Dimi that Lansbury would put his penalty straight down the middle so everything was good for him.

“He is an important player for us, and he knows that every day he is improving and growing up. He has to keep doing that, and he has to make sure he is always concentrating because it is easy to make mistakes and give things away.

“I am really pleased with him, but I am really pleased with all of them because their attitude has been excellent. I might not have been really pleased with this performance, but I know how difficult it was to win the game.”

Karanka did not feel that his side were at their best at the City Ground, but their victory nevertheless cemented their place in second position and moved them to within three points of league leaders Brighton, who drew against Wolves.

Boro’s players showcased their attacking flair as they dominated the first half, before producing a resilient defensive display in the second period as Forest threatened to equalise for a second time.

Karanka said: “The main thing, and the best thing for us, was the score. I didn’t think that we played in the way that we like to play, but it was a difficult game.

“It was the third game in a week so I can understand that the players were a little bit tired. We scored the first goal in the first two or three minutes, but then we conceded a goal to a set-piece even though we knew their strengths at taking corners and set-pieces.

“We made a mistake, and the game was difficult. We scored the second one, and in a similar kind of game here last season, we lost.

“In the last two games at home, I said we won because we have a lot of quality and better players this season. In this game, we won because we have more experience and a lot of experienced players on the pitch.”