Middlesbrough coach Aitor Karanka has admitted that his team performed below their usual standards during Tuesday's 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool.

Boro were held by the Championship's bottom-placed club last night as Ishmael Miller's goal salvaged a point for the visitors.

"I said yesterday that if we want to do something this season, these are the kinds of games where we cannot lose points," Karanka is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"We made mistakes and played in a way I didn't like, but we are just three points from [the top of the table]. The performance was a surprise because we had recovered our consistency and confidence. Now we have to recover it again."

Middlesbrough return to Championship action on Saturday when they entertain struggling Fulham.