Middlesbrough FC: Michael Carrick speaks out on Hayden Hackney flashpoint in Coventry City defeat | OneFootball

The Boro boss refused to use Hackney's 22nd minute dismissal as an excuse for his side's 3-0 home defeat to the Sky Blues.

Middlesbrough suffered yet another frustrating afternoon at the office with a 3-0 defeat at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday to Coventry City, but Boro boss Michael Carrick refuses to use Hayden Hackney's red card as an excuse.

The Middlesbrough midfielder was shown a second yellow card after just 22 minutes, in what was the latest in a series of self-inflicted wounds by the Teessiders so far this season.

That set Boro up for a long afternoon, as Bobby Thomas dished out the first piece of Coventry punishment minutes before half-time, before Haji Wright and Josh Eccles would put the final nails in the coffin in the closing stages of the second half.

So, whilst Hackney's dismissal undoubtedly proved the obvious turning point in the game, Middlesbrough's head coach doesn't believe that moment is why his side suffered defeat...

Michael Carrick refuses to blame Hayden Hackney flashpoint for Middlesbrough defeat

It can be very easy - and often justified - for a manager to blame a defeat on the fact their side had gone down to 10 men, especially as early into the game as Hackney's was against the Sky Blues.

For Carrick, however, he felt there was another element of Boro's performance that cost them even greater than the red card decision; a slow start and finish to the game.

Speaking via Teesside Live post-match, Carrick said: "I’ve not watched it back (Hackney's red card). It is what it is and there’s no point really.

"The referee has given it. I’m not sure either way, but there’s not much to say on it. He’s disappointed, for sure. It is what it is. Listen, I don’t want to sit here and talk about the decisions of the referee when we can be better.

"I have to say, I was proud of the players for the response to the red card. I thought we dealt with that pretty well against a good team. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses about the referee. We’ve got to focus on ourselves.

“It was the start and the end that cost us really. I thought we dealt with going down to ten men pretty well, to be honest, for the most part. We didn’t start particularly well, were a little bit edgy and didn’t really settle into the game.

"We still had the first two opportunities with Hayden and Riley having a couple of decent chances early on. But we didn’t particularly start well and then go down to ten. I thought in the most part we dealt with going down pretty well. But the first two goals are disappointing.

"I thought we dealt well with a lot of what they threw at us after the red, but the two goals are pretty straightforward goals that aren’t down to being a man down; they’re just two goals that we should do better with.

"As the game was going, we looked in a decent place and looking like we could get back into the game, we give away a really simple goal. In the end, that makes a difference."

Middlesbrough must start and finish games better if they are to win promotion

For all the nice football Middlesbrough have been playing for the most part this season, Boro have struggled to both start and close out games on numerous occasions.

“We just didn’t quite find our level - it wasn’t quite there. It wasn’t work-rate or attitude as such, we just weren’t at it and didn’t settle into the game. Having said that, we still have the first two good chances in the game on the break," Carrick added.

"But, if anything, I thought we were better in the game after we went down to ten men. It kind of forced us to settle down and play a bit. In the end, the second goal is the one that kills us.

"The end of the game is the end of the game; it can happen. It’s more what led up to that, really, which frustrates me, and we’ll have to focus on."

Across Middlesbrough's last four Championship matches in which they've failed to win, Boro have conceded twice inside the opening 27 minutes of the game, and six times in the last 20 minutes.

In terms of scoring goals in those same fixtures, Carrick's side have only scored once in the second half through George Edmundson vs Watford, highlighting Boro's struggles when it comes to their second half performances.

To put it simply, Middlesbrough are having serious trouble playing a complete game of football, and on those occasions when they have, they've collected three points.

Wins over Sheffield United and West Brom saw Boro defend brilliantly before scoring late winners, whilst wins over Stoke City and Cardiff saw them defend one goal leads for an extended period of time, before adding a second goal late on to kill the game off.

That's where the frustration appears to lie with Carrick, as he knows his side can put in textbook displays, but too often Boro are throwing points away because of poor starts and finishes to matches.

If Middlesbrough want to be among the top six come May, they will have to address this issue quickly before it has the chance to develop into the story of their season.