IT is far from a crisis, but it is certainly now serious enough to constitute a considerable stutter. Having threatened to sweep all before them in the first two months of the season, Middlesbrough have now picked up just one point from their last three games after George Friend’s late own goal proved the decisive factor in a 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City.

Friend deflected the ball into his own net after a penalty box scramble in the 87th minute to condemn Boro to a defeat they did not deserve on the overall run of play.

However, it is now 279 minutes since a Boro player put the ball in the right net, and their early-season slickness has been replaced by an attacking impotence that is causing concern. The Teessiders had plenty of possession last night, but never really looked like providing a cutting edge.

The Northern Echo:

David Marshall made a couple of decent saves to deny Albert Adomah and Grant Leadbitter, but with David Nugent well shackled and Diego Fabbrini well off the pace, Boro’s attacking was blunt and predictable.

Opposition sides appear to have worked out that the best way to contain the Teessiders is to curtail their ability to threaten on the break. Make them play in front of you, and you increase your chances of keeping them out.

The build-up to last night’s game had been dominated by Karanka’s unhappiness at the ‘big-spending’ tag that has been hung around Boro’s neck this season. The Spaniard is clearly uncomfortable at the notion of his side being promotion favourites, but whether he likes it or not, a top-two finish has to be the sole objective this term.

With that in mind, a tally of one point from games against Reading, Fulham and Cardiff is hardly acceptable.

Cardiff now find themselves just a point behind Boro, and back in their traditional blue after Vincent Tan’s ill-advised attempts to turn the Bluebirds red, the hosts had the better of the early exchanges.

Dimi Konstantopoulos made a routine save to keep out Peter Whittingham’s low drive, but then produced a much better stop to claw away Craig Noone’s effort as the midfielder threatened to curl a low left footer into the far corner of the net.

Adam Clayton drilled a long-range strike well over in between times, but there was a scrappiness to much of Boro’s play that suggested a side not quite at their most fluent.

As a result, the visitors’ main threat came from their overlapping full-backs, with Tomas Kalas joining Friend on a series of charges down the flanks in an attempt to get Boro moving.

Kalas’ 25th-minute surge helped tee up Clayton for a whipped right-wing cross that was met by the recalled Albert Adomah on the edge of the six-yard box. The winger’s header looked to be in until Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall flung himself to his left to produce an excellent point-blank save, but at least the incident confirmed Boro’s willingness to throw men forward when possible.

Adomah went close again before the interval, shooting over on the turn after Nugent had nodded Grant Leadbitter’s cross into his path, but there were moments when Boro’s players appeared reluctant to pull the trigger, with Stewart Downing an especially notable culprit.

In fairness, Cardiff were even less threatening for long periods, and while Konstantopoulos was forced into another simple save as Matthew Connolly headed goalwards from a corner, the impressive Fernando Amorebieta and the reliable Daniel Ayala combined successfully to ensure the home side’s balls into the middle came to nothing.

That almost changed four minutes after the interval, but Aron Gunnarsson fired over the crossbar after a neat one-two with Alex Revell had left him in space in the box. In a game of few openings, it was a bad miss.

The Northern Echo:

Cardiff’s defending was every bit as diligent as that of their opponents, with Connolly’s aerial prowess ensuring Nugent’s impact was limited despite Boro delivering a series of crosses from the flanks.

When Friend changed tack and picked out Fabbrini shortly before the hour mark, Sean Morrison produced an excellent defensive challenge to prod the ball away at the front post.

The one major Cardiff mistake came nine minutes into the second half, but while Connolly’s slip enabled Adomah to latch on to an errant pass and advance into the penalty area, the winger’s weak side-footed effort was directed much too close to Marshall.

The incident sparked Boro into life though, and the visitors spent the majority of the second period on the front foot.

Fabbrini twisted into space in the area, only for his shot to be turned around the post by Marshall. From the resultant corner, Nugent rose well at the back post, but directed his header wide.

Boro’s efforts were almost rewarded in the 70th minute, when more good work in a wide position from Adomah enabled Leadbitter to stab goalwards at the front post. Marshall stuck out his foot to make a save, and while the ball still looked like trickling in, full-back Lee Peltier was alert enough to hack clear.

Cardiff barely threatened at all in the second half, but Boro have a history of conceding late goals, and their Achilles heel surfaced again three minutes from the end.

Konstantopoulos denied substitute Sammy Ameobi after a scramble in the penalty area, but fellow replacement Stuart O’Keefe fired in the rebound and Friend’s attempts to keep the ball out merely succeeded in diverting it into the net.