Middlesbrough need a turnaround and fast as a third successive defeat saw them fall to ninth in the Championship, with their promotion chase threatening to implode.

Their latest defeat that saw their form move to just three wins from 14 came at Bramall Lane as they lost 3-1 to Sheffield United. Well-beaten, they were second best from the off and conceded another three awful goals as their season continued to be plagued by defensive issues and individual errors.

Michael Carrick made two changes for the game after the defeat to Sunderland last time out. Aston Villa loanee Samuel Iling-Junior replaced fellow January recruit Morgan Whittaker on the right wing as Ben Doak’s absence through injury continued. Up top Kelechi Iheanacho was straight in for his debut, replacing Marcus Forss.

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That meant, despite shipping three goals against their rivals nine days prior, Carrick kept his back four unchanged, which looked a big call. Particularly in the case of Luke Ayling and George Edmundson who both struggled in that one. Ayling didn’t have much competition given Anfernee Dijksteel’s injury absence, but keeping Dael Fry on the bench was a particularly interesting call against a very competent Sheffield United attack.

That defence was tested early on too. With Boro doing little to impose themselves in the game or kill the Bramall Lane atmosphere, they came under wave after wave of Sheffield United attack.Iling-Junior was really struggling to keep the ball throughout and Iheanacho cut an isolated figure, as Delano Burgzorg was the only real Boro player to offer much.

At the other end, though Boro managed to hold the hosts off for the first 30 minutes, an opener felt like it was coming. Boro tormentor Gus Hamer had the best chance when he beat Ayling too easily and curled just wide of the far post. There were many more openings and chances though as Chris Wilder’s side flooded the final third and overran Boro, finding it far too easy to run straight through.

That opening goal did eventually come in the 32nd minute and it was another straight from the Boro comedy book of defending. As Boro committed bodies to their own counter, Iling-Junior lost possession again, giving Hamer the freedom of the Boro right wing. He spotted the ball through to Callum O’Hare and played him in behind, only for Ryan Giles to make an excellent recovery challenge.

Danger averted, or maybe not. As the ball got caught in Giles’s feet in front of Mark Travers, he made a mess of it in a panicked clearance that fell straight to Rak-Sakyi to fire home. Another gift.

With a little under 15 minutes to half-time, Boro did little to change the narrative of the game to that point. That was until the dying moments of the half when one decent move that saw Burgzorg cleverly flick into Hayden Hackney’s path, allowing the Teessider to drive at goal and have Boro’s first shot on target. Moments later, they were level.

To say it was undeserved would be an understatement, and not just because of the home side’s control of the match. As a Boro corner was swung in, Edmundson found himself in a tussle with Jack Robinson. Though both players had hold of each other’s shirts, Edmundson chucked himself to the ground, convincing referee Matthew Donohue he’d been fouled. After plenty of delay tactics, Burgzorg stepped up and coolly slotted home.

For once the recipient of a bit of a gift, Boro were level at the break in a game that could have quite easily been out of sight. It should have been an opportunity to turn the game around in the second half, but Boro never help themselves.

Early on, Boro still struggled for control. The Sheffield United midfield was just proving too powerful. In a rare early change from Carrick, he waited just ten minutes after the interval to change things. Dan Barlaser replaced Azaz, who once again struggled to get into the game. Though Hackney replaced Azaz, the idea was that he offered more mobility going either way than Boro’s usual ten.

Boro managed things better from there and though they still weren’t creating much of their own, they were at least restricting the home side to far fewer openings. That was until another Edmundson square ball out of defence was turned over. O’Hare was just about to fire the home side back ahead when Van den berg produced a last-ditch tackle.

But it was to be in vain. As Carrick introduced Whittaker and Tommy Conway from the bench in an attempt to find a winner, it was the home side who found the pivotal third goal. Ayling’s attempted through ball lacked conviction and was easily cut out. From there though, with Boro committing too much in one direction, one ball straight through the middle was all it took as substitute Brereton Diaz got the wrong side of Giles to run through and score with a tidy chipped finish.

Sheffield United’s third goal very nearly came in another moment of comical error from Boro. Hackney and Giles chased down a clearance over their heads but left the ball to one another. It allowed Tyrese Campbell to steal away on goal but Travers came up with a huge save to keep the game alive.

With two minutes remaining though it was game over, and this time Travers again was culpable. He challenged to claim the ball from a corner but was beaten in the air too easily by centre-back Ahemdhodzic, who headed into an empty net.

No change of the script that Carrick had called for pre-match, this was more of the same from Boro. The chance to get back into the game undeservedly wasn’t taken as comedy errors and poor defending plagued Boro again. Boro slipped to ninth in the table and pressure is ramping up on Carrick to find the answers to problems that have been there all season. A home game against out-of-form Watford awaits on Saturday, which feels absolutely pivotal for both head coaches.