Fine margins for Middlesbrough as biggest area for improvement after Leeds United highlighted

Tommy Smith highlighted the fine margins that cost his Middlesbrough team-mates against Leeds United, with Michael Brown believing that Leeds’ big-game experience was ultimately the key difference between the two sides.

Leeds won 3-1 at Elland Road on Tuesday evening, in a game that might have gone Boro’s way had they capitalised on their positive start to the second half. Having really struggled in the first half, Michael Carrick’s side at least kept the score to just one at the break before a spirited second half start.

Equalising through a Max Wober own goal, Boro had the ascendancy as they went looking for a winner before sloppily inviting Leeds back into the game with poor passing. Watching the game as a Sky Sports analyst, Smith - who has been absent through injury for over a year - said Boro were ultimately outdone by fine margins.

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“At the start of the second half it was on a knife edge,” the defender said. “Leeds edged the first half but we had a really good spell in the first 20 minutes or so of the second half. Ultimately, it’s fine margins and tonight they just tilted the way of Leeds.

“When you go 2-1 down, it’s a difficult position to find yourself in with so little time remaining. You’re thinking you want to send men forward to try and get back into the game, but you leave yourself open to potentially getting caught on the break. That’s ultimately what happened in the end.”

Brown, who was a team-mate of Carrick’s at Tottenham and also played for Leeds, felt his former side ultimately edged those fine margins because of their experience of the bigger games, and therefore handled it better. He also highlighted a key area Boro must improve in in such games.

Brown said: “I think if you’re Michael, you come away from that feeling you’re quite unlucky. Possession-wise, they contributed to the game. They’ll be a little bit disappointed with regards to their goal action - shots on target etc. That has to improve in a big game against a top team like this.

“But it’s little margins with players making the right decisions at the right times. Sometimes they’re little one percenters - good tackles, nicely weighted passes, good finishes. I just felt Leeds were a little bit hungrier and a little bit sharper. They knew their way around it [that kind of game] a little bit more and their quality just came out.”