Michael Carrick said he was hurting as something Middlesbrough have let happen too often this season plagued them again in defeat to Portsmouth.

Boro led at Fratton Park thanks to Emmanuel Latte Lath's goal and looked in a good position at half-time even if their performance hadn't quite been their best. But as has been too often the case this season, Boro ultimately made life too easy for their opponents in the second half as they surrendered their lead to lose 2-1 thanks to two Matt Ritchie goals.

Speaking after, Carrick said: “We let the game get away from us again, and it’s something we’ve let happen far too much recently. I thought coming here, how they make it and how it feels, I thought the lads dealt with it well in the first half and start of the second.

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"We had chances to go 2-0 up that we didn’t quite take. The game is always on a knife-edge at that point and we spoke about that at half-time. Concentration is important because one moment can flip it. That’s a big part of coming here.

"Their first goal was such a big moment and we’ve gone from quite a comfortable situation in many respects to the game completely changing after that. So, very mixed reflections after that, but hurting a lot and disappointed to come away with nothing after the position we put ourselves in."

As Boro struggle to manage games from a defensive point of view, it's perhaps worrying that goals have dried up of late. Having been one of the Championship's free scorers, they've not scored more than one goal in their last five games, which is an issue when you struggle to keep clean sheets. In this one, with big chances from Hayden Hackney and Delano Burgzorg to add a second, Carrick was left ruing missed chances.

“Little things here and there let us down," he said. "We were in a good position and a second goal would have been important. We weren’t totally happy with the position because we knew one moment could have a massive impact. We needed that second goal but we didn’t take it, they took their chances and after that it was a lot more different.

"We’re in games and putting ourselves in good positions in games, but we’ve maybe got to manage games better and maybe deal with little setbacks better. There’s no getting away from that."

Carrick's last words post-match were for the supporters. Over 2,100 made the long journey from Teesside down to the south coast. While understandably frustrated at full-time, the Boro boss still wanted to show and voice his appreciation, while understanding the annoyance.

He concluded: “It’s a monumental effort again. To sell out again, travelling so far, it’s something I’m hugely grateful for. We’re all thankful for their support. I understand their disappointment - we’re all disappointed with how it’s ended up. But it’s important we go and show our appreciation to supporters after every game. We thank them for their support today, and hopefully again on Tuesday."