Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate admits Juande Ramos played into his hands by benching Dimitar Berbatov for their victory over Tottenham.

"I think he's an outstanding player, so yes, it was a bonus for us, definitely," Southgate told Boro's website.

"We knew the threat Tottenham have and dealing with that was key. They're a good team but they have players who have not played in the Premier League before.

"We watched their pre-season games and felt nobody had pressed and got at them the way we intended to."