Michael Carrick refuses to blame red card as he pinpoints Middlesbrough's biggest problem

Michael Carrick refused to blame Hayden Hackney's red card for Middlesbrough's defeat to Coventry City, as he rued his side's poor start and finish to the game.

The Boro boss was understandably frustrated as his side lost 3-0 at the Riverside, in a game that saw Boro play from 22 minutes on with just ten men after Hackney saw red for two bookable offences. The Boro boss refused to be drawn into any controversy despite clear frustrations during the game as Thomas Bramall's officiating, as he insisted his side needed to look closer to home.

“I’ve not watched it back," Carrick said of Hackney's red. "It is what it is and there’s no point really. The referee has given it. I’m not sure either way, but there’s not much to say on it. He’s disappointed, for sure. It is what it is. Listen, I don’t want to sit here and talk about the decisions of the referee when we can be better.

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"I have to say, I was proud of the players for the response to the red card. I thought we dealt with that pretty well against a good team. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses about the referee. We’ve got to focus on ourselves."

Of more concern for Carrick was their start to the game, and the way it unravelled for them at the end. Hackney's red came as Boro started the game edgily and failed to gain their usual control. Both bookings for the Boro midfielder came from his own heavy touches, which epitomised the sloppy start Boro made.

But they actually enjoyed a solid 15 minutes after the red card, with Jonny Howson's return helping to settle them. They then added extra impetus in the second half as they went looking for an equaliser and looked capable of getting it before being punished late on with two goals in six minutes to kill the game off and seal the win for the visitors.

Carrick summarised: “It was the start and the end that cost us really. I thought we dealt with going down to ten men pretty well, to be honest, for the most part. We didn’t start particularly well, were a little bit edgy and didn’t really settle into the game.

"We still had the first two opportunities with Hayden and Riley having a couple of decent chances early on. But we didn’t particularly start well and then go down to ten. I thought in the most part we dealt with going down pretty well. But the first two goals are disappointing.

"I thought we dealt well with a lot of what they threw at us after the red, but the two goals are pretty straightforward goals that aren’t down to being a man down; they’re just two goals that we should do better with. As the game was going, we looked in a decent place and looking like we could get back into the game, we give away a really simple goal. In the end, that makes a difference."

On the start to the game in particular, he continued: “We just didn’t quite find our level - it wasn’t quite there. It wasn’t work-rate or attitude as such, we just weren’t at it and didn’t settle into the game. Having said that, we still have the first two good chances in the game on the break.

"But, if anything, I thought we were better in the game after we went down to ten men. It kind of forced us to settle down and play a bit. In the end, the second goal is the one that kills us. The end of the game is the end of the game; it can happen. It’s more what led up to that, really, which frustrates me, and we’ll have to focus on."

There was a double blow for Boro on the day as they lost Rav van den Berg and Ben Doak to injury, with the Boro boss also opting to put Luke Ayling back into the side ahead of Anfernee Dijksteel. He explained before the game that Van den Berg was a knee injury, while Doak was more just fatigue-based and not believed to be serious.

Asked for an update on Van den Berg after, he said: “Rav felt his knee in training after twisting it. We’re not sure on that one yet, we’ll have to wait and see. Ben is a bit of fatigue that has been building up really after playing a lot football after a couple of months out. That leads to a bit of tightness in the hamstring, but nothing major.

"Hopefully it’ll be a matter of days, but it’s not serious by any stretch. Luke and Anf was another tough decision. Two good players, both can play in the team just as well as each other. It's one of them decisions you need to make."