NEITHER side were able to claim three points at the Riverside, but both could quite easily have pinched a victory during a goalless 90 minutes.

Here are the main talking points from Boro's stalemate with in-form Everton.

TIGHT AT THE BACK

Guess what, Middlesbrough kept things tight at the back again. Even when Everton broke in behind the defence, Victor Valdes was on hand to display his excellence with three good stops.

It shows how organised and resilient Boro are at the back that they can put the blocks on the Premier League’s top scorer from adding to his 16 goal tally. Romelu Lukaku only had one chance and Valdes was equal to it.

If Middlesbrough are going to stay up this season then it will be because of the fact they do keep teams at bay. You cannot hide the fact, though, that they still need to find goals from somewhere, and this was another day when they failed to find the net.

CAN ADAMA ADD MORE?

To find the net then Aitor Karanka is going to need to get Adama Traore firing in and around the penalty box. He does plenty of nice things away from the penalty area, without really threatening the opposition keeper.

That was highlighted in the second half when he made a fine cut in from the left, having been switched flanks again, and then powering a wayward shot away.

If he can work on his shooting in training then he might end up being a world beater.

What is clear is that the Spaniard needs to keep playing. He offers an outlet every time Middlesbrough need one.

He might occasionally lose possession with the wrong decision, but he still is worth the gamble in this side.

SUN TO SHOWERS – AND COLD ONES

Given how Middlesbrough had spent the last five days in Spain training in slightly warmer conditions, it would have been an easy excuse to blame the freezing weather at the Riverside for a below-par showing.

The sleet and snow was on and off all afternoon with the temperatures hovering around zero, and yet Boro’s players still battled away and could easily have nicked a valuable three points in the end.

It is FA Cup duty next, and by the time they return it will be the Premier League again and trips to Crystal Palace and Stoke before the visit of Sunderland.

#The Black Cats’ visit is already shaping up to be a belter, hopefully it will be a bit warmer too.

OH GASTON …

Gaston Ramirez got his first taste of action in a Middlesbrough shirt since January 2 after demanding a move to Leicester City during the transfer window.

That move might not have materialised and now he needs to get his head right and focused on keeping this team in the top-flight.

After conceding a free-kick with an early touch and picking up a caution, he settled and showed glimpses of the talent everyone knows he has.

That said, though, it was Rudy Gestede who almost turned match-winner when he emerged for the final few minutes. It was not to be.

MANAGERIAL REACTION

Aitor Karanka said: "Once again we've competed against one of the best teams in the league, we were at least as good as them. We were organised and created chances and the crowd was behind us again. It was almost the perfect game.

"The two keepers from Spain both did well, Valdes' saves were really important for us. He's an important player for us both on and off the pitch and I'm really pleased for him. The first thing I told him when he came here was that he should enjoy his football.

"Gaston has been out for more than a month so I don't want to make mistakes with injured players, he's going to be more important and more impact from the bench today. He benefitted from going to Spain with the squad, for the new players, for everyone.”

Ronald Koeman said: “It's a fair result for both teams. The weather conditions were tough to play in and it's difficult to create a lot of chances against Middlesbrough and they showed a good strong defensive organisation.

“We still had two or three really big chances to score. We were the better team in the first half and they were a little more dangerous in the second. In the second half we stood off more but it's a clean sheet it's a point it's the fourth clean sheet in the last four games and that's really good.”