Di Matteo hails unsung hero Mulumbu

Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo hailed 'unsung hero' Youssouf Mulumbu after the midfielder walked off with the sponsors' champagne on Saturday.

The DR Congo international was named sponsors' man of the match for a dynamic display and Di Matteo was full of praise for the former Paris Saint Germain player.

He said: "Youssouf's been one of our core players this season and he has played a lot of games for us. He has carried the team at certain stages of the season as well and he does a difficult job and a job that doesn't always get highlighted by people.

"But we appreciate very much what he does for the team. It's a bit of a dirty job as well, but he still has a lot of quality when he is on the ball."

Di Matteo was delighted with his team's all-round display as they extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches despite already being promoted.

He said: "I thought we played really well. It was a great performance by the team.

"We scored goals, we created chances and we were always in control of the game and never really got into any trouble.

"Our players have been very professional all season and they deserve a lot of credit. We have 89 points with two games left - that's a lot of points. I have to say it is difficult when you come down from the Premier League.

"Expectations are high and I think we just have a good group of players who put a lot of effort in and worked very hard to get into this position.

"They also had to deal with a change of management."

Di Matteo is now eying the Baggies' all-time record for points in a season, after Saturday's win equalled the current mark of 89 - set in 2002 by Gary Megson's side.

The Baggies boss said: "It was a fantastic performance by us. Our aim is to break the club record now. We scored very good goals. The build up to the second goal was fantastic.

"It was a great atmosphere in the stadium. The fans really enjoyed themselves. The players still had a job to do, so it was probably difficult for them to focus at times.

"The players deserve all the credit they are getting. It was sunny, not too cold, the supporters were magnificent, we won and we kept a clean-sheet.

"You can't ask for more."

Di Matteo was happy for goalscorers Simon Cox and Roman Bednar.

He said: "They did really well.They worked hard for the team and scored their goals. They were always in the area where it was dangerous."

Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan was none too complimentary about his side's performance.

He said: "I have been in management for 13 years and that is one of the performances that you are actually embarrassed with.

"As a manager you hopefully don't get them too many times - that is about the fourth or fifth one. We are embarrassed by our performance, I mean we as a group, not just the players but we as a group are embarrassed by that.

"West Brom played very well, they set a good standard for the Championship and deservedly they are going to go up.

"We have always been hard to beat and there has been no one who has really, I don't think, turned us over this year and made us look the way we did on Saturday.

"That is the first time that has happened."