Tottenham Hotspur suffered a shock defeat in their opening match of the season as they lost 2-1 to a spirited Middlesbrough side on Saturday.

After a goalless first half, David Wheater broke the deadlock in the 71st minute while Mido put the result beyond doubt by scoring against his former club with four minutes to spare. Robert Huth scored an own goal in the injury time as Spurs failed to pose an attacking threat to the Boro defense.

Tottenham started the match without want away striker Dimitar Berbatov who was on the bench with Darren Bent named in the starting line up. David Bentley, Giovani dos Santos and Aaron Lennon struggled to break past a solid Boro defense leaving Bent all alone up front.

Sanli Tuncay, Jeremie Aliadiere and Alves were at the top of their form at the other end with Alves coming close to opening the scoring through a swift counter attack but was unable to connect his shot properly.

Middlesbrough almost took the lead in the first half when Wheater headed home from a corner but his effort was harshly ruled out for a foul on Dawson. Spurs struggled to put up a response in the second half as Middlesbrough continued to dominate the chances.

The hosts took a deserved lead in the 71st minute when Wheater latched on to a rebound off Alves shot to slot home from close range. Gary O'Neil nearly doubled the lead minutes later but his shot was well saved by Gomes.

Boro put the match beyond Spurs' reach when Mido deflected Didier Digard's shot four minutes before the final whistle. Spurs grabbed a consolation goal in the injury time when Huth scored an own goal off Bentley's corner but it was Boro who took all three points from the match.