Coming up against, at the time, the Championship leaders was never going to be an easy game for Watford, which Dionisi was the first to recognise ahead of the game.

Watford were already depleted following recent injuries and Hector Kyprianou's suspension, but Myron Boadu's omission, due to a leg injury, followed by an issue for Krepin Diatta early in the game, had the Hornets down to the bare bones.

But, with their backs up against the wall, Watford coped excellently, fighting relentlessly to drag themselves across the line and move five points clear of the relegation zone.

Speaking after the game, Dionisi could do little to hide his delight as he revealed his pride in his players' performance.

“Oh yes, I’m very proud of my players,” he beamed. “I’m very happy for everyone: for the supporters, for the coaching staff, for everyone.”

When asked about the game specifically, Dionisi emphasised how tough it was for his side, but insisted that they followed the game plan excellently.

“It was difficult to play against Middlesbrough,” he admitted. “It was very, very difficult, because they play well with the ball, they have qualities, and it’s very difficult.

“In the first half, it wasn’t easy. In the second half, it was the same, but sometimes we had courage with the ball, played in the opponent’s half and had a positive situation.

"We worked for this. It was difficult to defend with wingers today, because they want to play inside, and it was important to defend well inside.

“With the ball, it was important to have quality in the middle because it was possible to arrive at the goal with one or two passes, because sometimes they attacked us with 10 players, so in transition it was a possibility to attack.”