Middlesbrough were held to a 2-2 draw by Portsmouth in their latest Championship outing.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Michael Carrick at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough were looking to kick on from last weekend’s defeat the Derby County at Pride Park but things really did not go to plan.
The Teessiders found themselves 1-0 down inside two minutes on Saturday thanks to a goal from Christian Saydee, who captlaised on some poor defending from Lukas Engel.
Centre-back Matt Clarke equalised for Boro in the eighth minute, heading home from a corner.
However, Saydee bagged his second of the day to put Portsmouth in front heading into the break.
Middlesbrough dominated the second half and eventually equalised for a second time in the 89th minute when Tommy Conway converted from the spot.
Neil Maddison praised Luke Ayling
Middlesbrough performed fairly well in attack against Portsmouth, testing their backline throughout the 90 minutes.
Finn Azaz was a bright spark and Conway changed the game when he came off the bench.
However, it was Carrick’s defence that was the real concern, with Dominic Shaw left baffled by Seny Dieng during the game.
Despite their dismal showing at the back, Neil Maddison did praise Luke Ayling post-match.
Speaking live on BBC Tees Radio [5:02pm], Maddions was asked to name his Middlesbrough Man of the Match. He refused to do so but did single out the Boro right-back for praise.
He said: “I just feel the last two games you have basically dropped five points. I thought first half we were a bit sloppy, indecisive at times, second half was constant attacking.
“I don’t like giving them [Man of the Match] when you have been beaten. In that game as well, I still think Ayling did well, he was Boro’s best player, in terms of being composed on the ball but I don’t like giving one I must admit.
“If I was going to give it I’d give it to Ayling.”
Luke Ayling has been superb for Middlesbrough
Saturday’s game was not the first time Ayling has been a standout player for Middlesbrough.
The 32-year-old was played out of position at centre-back owing to injury issues but still performed very well at the heart of the back-four.
Ayling joined Middlesbrough on loan from Leeds United last term and is now back on a permanent basis.
Despite getting on in years, he remains one of the club’s most consistent performers and will be crucial to their promotion push this season.