A let-off for Boro or a massive opportunity missed? Both.
Positives of an early kick-off on a Saturday are hard to come by but the benefit of being able to open a four point gap at the top was the pressure being piled on promotion rivals.
The possibility of Boro dropping points wasn't really considered. The attention instead centred on the delightful thought of breathing space at the summit.
It’s that which made the defeat to Leeds hard to take. That and the fact it was a game Boro dominated from start to finish.
Had Boro gone in at the break 5-1 up Neil Redfearn couldn’t really have had any complaints. Instead, the hosts trailed 1-0. Remarkably, that’s how it finished.
Frustration. Sheer frustration.
One point out of six. A blip? Not quite. The point at Birmingham was a good one given the circumstances and Boro barely froze on the small screen against an in-form Leeds side.
Aitor Karanka described the first half performance as one of the best of the campaign so far. It’s hard to disagree.
But no points out of six against Leeds this season quite simply isn’t good enough. We can only hope it’s not decisive come the end of the season.
Derby took their chance to open a two-point gap at the top but both Bournemouth and Ipswich let Boro off the hook.
It's no straight road as we look ahead to the end of the season. The defeat to Leeds was one of many twists and turns still to come.
Here’s what we learnt from the frustrating 1-0 loss.
Chances must be taken.
Remember Simon Eastwood? Apologies, nobody wanted his name bringing up again after his two inspired displays against Boro earlier this season.
As if you need reminding, the Blackburn stopper, only starting due to Jason Steele’s ineligibility to play against his parent club at the time, made world class save after world class save to deny Boro picking up all three points against Blackburn both home and away.
That wasn’t the case against Leeds. As impressive as Marco Silvestri was between the posts for the visitors, the countless saves he made were all stops you would expect a keeper at this level to make.
But they were all from chances you would expect strikers at this level to put away.
Aitor Karanka explained his decision to leave Patrick Bamford out of the starting line-up, pointing to the fact the form striker put in a shift on his own up top for 45 minutes after Jelle Vossen was pulled off following Dimi’s dismissal at Birmingham.
Jelle Vossen and Kike caused the Leeds defence no end of problems, particularly in the first half, but you can’t help but think Bamford would have dispatched at least one of the many chances that the starting duo missed in the opening period.
For long periods it was a game of attack v defence. Defence somehow came out on top.
Chances came and went. The tally of Boro shots on goal constantly rising. But the goal tally didn’t budge.
Players and fans will be scratching their heads as to how at least one of the chances created wasn’t stuck in the back of the net.
Opportunities missed. A golden chance spurned.
After a week of three games without a win in all competitions, Boro will be itching for Tuesday to roll around. A win against Bolton is paramount.
It’s tight at the top - it’s anyone’s title once again
A couple of weeks back it looked like Boro, Derby and Bournemouth were beginning to pull away, that the other sides would have to settle for a lottery ticket in the play-offs.
That’s not the case anymore.
Boro may well have been let off the hook somewhat by Bournemouth and Ipswich who both failed to win but the results have allowed the other promotion chasers to pull themselves right back in the mix for an automatic promotion spot.
Talk ahead of the Leeds game was focused on Boro’s chance to open up a four point gap at the top. Instead, just five points now separates second-place Boro and seventh-place Brentford.
Alex Neil appeared to be a slight gamble of an appointment at Norwich when he replaced Neil Adams. Now it seems inspired. The Canaries, like Ipswich and even Watford, despite their heavy defeat, will still believe they’re capable of forcing their way into the top two.
As the boss and players have stressed on so many occasions, it doesn’t matter what’s happening elsewhere, Boro just need to focus on their own results.
But they’ll be all too aware that with the pack bunching around, any slip-ups from now to the end of the season will be punished.
The rock solid defence looked a little shaky
Granted, Boro had to commit bodies as they chased the game against Leeds. They even committed Tomas Mejias forward in one final punt in the dying seconds.
But Boro’s rock solid defence, the most reliable back-line in the Championship, looked a little shaky throughout against a goal-shy Leeds attack.
As Boro’s missed chances dominated discussions after the game, the opportunities Leeds had to wrap the game up were demoted to minor mentions.
But Sol Bamba’s glorious opportunity on the stroke of half-time and Scott Wootton’s header against the bar should both have made the net ripple.
For a 10-minute spell after the goal Boro’s defence looked stunned. Leeds, no doubt surprised by their early opener, looked a real threat on the break. In truth, they did throughout.
None of Boro’s defenders had a particularly bad game. In fact, Kalas looked classy and assured throughout.
But Boro were far more charitable than they usually are, especially on home turf.
Daniel Ayala is a big miss and Ryan Fredericks was a surprise absentee.
As for Tomas Mejias. Questions will be asked of the Spanish stopper’s role in the opener, his throw was intercepted in the middle of Boro’s half, but otherwise he was solid enough, making one smart stop to tip a Rodolph Austin over in the late stages.
A remarkable run of seven clean sheets in eight games has been followed by a run of five matches without a shut-out.
After the game Karanka hailed Boro’s ability to bounce back from setbacks.
Now more than ever it's vital they do exactly that and a win and a clean sheet against Bolton would be the perfect way to kick-start another unbeaten run.
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