Middlesbrough lost for the third game in a row this afternoon after Tottenham left the Riverside with three points, even though Aitor Karanka’s side made a good fight of things in the second half. Here are four key issues that cost Boro and will need to be addressed:

PROTECTING THE BALL

Tottenham have designs on winning the Premier League title and Middlesbrough have only just come up, but Boro looked incapable of holding onto possession until the second half.

Time and again the visitors were able to pass the ball around a red shirt with clever movement and play and that led to Spurs claiming a two-goal lead inside 23 minutes.

Far too often Middlesbrough gifted possession back to Tottenham, whose pressing and energy levels were always a constant menace for the top-flight new boys until Karanka changed things midway through the second half.

CONFIDENCE HIT

When Heung-Min Son followed up his first goal with a clever second, Middlesbrough’s confidence seemed to disappear for a large chunk of the game. That could be a crucial factor moving forward, if Karanka and his players want to stay away from the relegation zone.

There was a sell-out crowd at the Riverside and the fans did their best to keep things going but this was Tottenham’s day and for long periods Middlesbrough looked a shadow of the side which caused Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal problems in the cups during the last two years.

Now a trip to West Ham is followed by a visit from Watford before Middlesbrough face Arsenal so it will be imperative that Karanka builds on the signs of confidence that resurfaced in the final half hour after a dreadful opening 45 minutes.

ISOLATED STRIKER

Alvaro Negredo was signed in the summer to bring experience and a goal-threat. He spent the majority of this afternoon as a lone Middlesbrough player in the final third unable to trouble the Spurs backline.

He held the ball up a few times but it was no surprise when he was taken off and replaced by Jordan Rhodes for the final half hour, when sections of Boro fans actually booed the former Manchester City man’s withdrawal because they wanted to see two strikers.

Middlesbrough had been able to sit tight in the Championship and get results but Karanka needs to come up with a way of causing more problems to goalkeepers; that was why there was such a lift, even at 2-0 down, when the pace of Adam Traore and Rhodes.

FRUSTRATIONS CREEPING IN

There were signs of friction despite a positive start that had seen Middlesbrough claim five points from an unbeaten first three matches.

There were occasional problems behind the scenes last season, but incidents that saw Victor Valdes charge over to Adam Clayton to remonstrate midway through the first half were never so public.

Middlesbrough are never going to win as many matches as they did last season in the Championship, but the sooner they come to terms with defeat in the top-flight the better – this is a squad which needs to stay focused and together.

The buzz that was created by Rhodes, who almost headed an equaliser, and Traore’s pace could certainly be something worth tuning into for Karanka as he looks to win for the second time in the Premier League.

AITOR KARANKA

He said: “It’s frustrating for me to work for seven days to try to show them how Tottenham play and how good they are, then we are losing after seven minutes. The worst thing for me is the attitude in the first-half. It was awful, but the second-half was completely different.

“When I first came here we were conceding a lot of goals and we are doing it now again. We have to beat that problem and the way to do it is by having the attitude we had last season when we played as a team.

“We have one week now to decide what sort of team we want to be. If it’s the first-half team, we have problems, but if it’s the team that played in the second-half, we will win a few games. It’s in our hands.”