Michael Carrick reacts to Middlesbrough's 'individual errors' after Portsmouth draw and Tommy Conway penalty

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick says his side should focus on the positives despite dropping points during a 2-2 draw against Portsmouth at the Riverside.

Boro came from behind twice against the newly-promoted side, with Matt Clarke and Tommy Conway (with a late penalty) scoring for the hosts. Portsmouth’s second goal came after a defensive mix-up between Clarke and goalkeeper Seny Dieng, presenting Pompey striker Christian Saydee with an open goal. 

“I thought there were a lot of good things in the game for us,” said Carrick after the match. “I thought we were ok last week (during a 1-0 defeat at Derby) but I thought we were very good at times today. We gave ourselves a lot to do and for me I’m judging it over a period of time through the game. An individual error, that’s two in two weeks really. Take that out of it and we haven’t given much away at all.

“We’ve had a lot of shots in and around the box and I thought today particularly was some of the best stuff in and around the box against a team who had a lot to hold onto. I thought there was a lot of positives really but the negatives really are one-offs. There isn’t a lot going wrong within the performance so I take that as a positive from my side.”

Boro were also punished after an individual error at Derby last week, when Isaiah Jones’ short back pass allowed Rams striker Kayden Jackson to score.

When asked about his side’s individual errors, Carrick replied: “I think it comes down to a little bit of concentration, a bit of focus, a little bit of staying in the moment and managing that. I think largely the boys have done a lot of good things. We will certainly dwell a lot more on the positives and the performance generally because I thought there were a lot of good things there.”