Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, had only been on the Etihad Stadium pitch once before, for a Bon Jovi concert, and he was certainly on song for second tier Middlesbrough.
The 21-year-old striker capitalised on an error from City midfielder Fernando to bundle the ball into the net in the 53rd minute before Spaniard Kike struck late on to wrap up an unlikely victory over the Premier League champions.
"Everyone's making a big thing of the fact that it's the first time I've been back here since I won two tickets for a Bon Jovi concert," Bamford told the BBC. "But I've enjoyed it today.
"As a team we were magnificent. I think it was a bit of a relief in the end because with one bit of magic they can turn it around.
"With just the one-goal lead it was always going to be difficult but the second goal ensured the win," added Bamford.
"I think the back six, including the two midfielders in front of the back four, were magnificent. They didn't give David Silva or Sergio Aguero much space."
Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka, who was once the assistant to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, thought his side could have won by more than two goals.
"I'm proud of the players, the crowd, the fans, the staff and the club," said Karanka. "They (City) had a lot of chances to score in the first half and I was concerned because they have a lot of quality.
"They always have an attacking threat and it was our third game in a week. We could have won by more because we were very well organised and have quality up front."
(Reporting by Michael Hann, editing by Tony Jimenez)
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