MICHAEL Carrick says his overriding feeling after Middlesbrough's defeat at Leeds United was disappointment - but with the result, not with the effort or performance from his players.

Boro lost 3-2 in a chaotic game at Elland Road, with all five goals coming in the first half before Anfernee Dijksteel was sent off after the break.

Despite going down to 10 men, Boro still came close to snatching a point when substitute Sammy Silvera hit the post.

And although the goals conceded in the first half were avoidable - which Carrick accepted - he had no complaints with his players.

“I’m disappointed, that’s my overriding feeling," he said.

"But it’s disappointment with the result not with the boys. This is a tough place to come and they’ve got really good individual players for this league and they’re a top, top team.

"We kind of feel we give it as good as we got. We were up against it a bit with boys playing some of their first few games that they’ve played in a while, and it’s a pretty new back four.

"I thought the boys stuck at it well. Yeah, we had issues that will need fixing, conceding goals etc. But in general, I thought there were a lot of good things from it and we’ve let one slip really. We should have got more from the game."

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Emmanuel Latte Lath put Boro ahead after just three minutes, before Leeds hit three goals through Dan James, Crysencio Summerville and Joel Piroe, who scored from the spot when substitute Matt Clarke committed a foul after coming on to replace the injured Paddy McNair.

Boro gave themselves a lifeline through Latte Lath's second goal and had their moments after the break. Silvera went closest for Boro, but Carrick also felt his side should have had a penalty when Matt Crooks went down.

He said: "We stuck to it, we hit the post and the boys feel we should have had a penalty with Crooksy. They are big moments in the game where we could have easily taken something from it. We were right in there."