After seeing his side demolished by a rampant Spurs side, Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate did not hide away from the backlash that he knew would come his way.

 

After conceding an early goal, Boro blew away all the good done by the win over Liverpool by going on to lose 4-0 - their worst away defeat this campaign. Boro’s former captain was full of remorse over what the fans who travelled from Teesside to London had been put through. “We have a big following in the south but a lot of those supporters tonight have made the long journey down and we have to apologise to those fans. It's an horrendous fixture for them to have midweek anyway and we simply weren't good enough.“

If the performance and lack of goals wasn’t enough, Stoke City’s win over Bolton and Hull City’s late show at Fulham would not have lightened the mood on the trip back to the North East. With the FA Cup quarter final against Everton coming up, Boro’s season very much hangs in the balance and Southgate will be looking for a positive response from his players.