EYEBROWS were raised in the summer when Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren allowed veteran midfielders Paul Ince and Robbie Mustoe to leave.

But after another impressive display from the pair's replacements - George Boateng and Geremi - at Chelsea even the most hardened of critics will have to admit McClaren has worked his magic again.

While Boro's front two struggled to breakthrough a resolute Blues rearguard on Saturday and defeat was inflicted on Boro at Stamford Bridge yet again, Boateng and Geremi were two men who certainly did not deserve to be on the losing side.

The latter takes every dead ball going for the Teessiders and he whips in a large number of quality crosses, while his midfield side-kick gets stuck in and more often than not comes away with the ball, before looking for the simple pass.

And Boro chief McClaren believes similar performances from the rest of his players are beginning to occur week in and week out in the Premiership - something he says was missing last season.

"I think you can see from this performance just how far we have come from last season," said a pleased McClaren despite watching his side go down 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.

"We are hard to beat, which we were last season, and we have added that little bit of creativity to the side as well.

"We now play good football but the best thing for me is the performance of the players. We used to scramble results out at places like this, now we are seriously competing against them.

"If you compare this season to last season then we have got a far better team this year.

"We've kept solid at the back and added a few players to the squad and they have given us a new dimension.

"I'm surprised how well it has gone to be fair. I said in August that this team, with new players, would take a bit of time to gel.

"But the players have been fantastic and their attitude has been spot on."

And McClaren singled out Cameroon international Geremi - who was tracked by Chelsea before joing Boro on loan from Real Madrid - for special praise.

"You can tell he is a class player," he said. "He gives us great balance on the right side.

"He works hard, he's strong in the tackle and he adds a different dimension to us.

"He never gave up but that's like all of the players here, they are all like that. That's one thing we are trying to instill in them."

One Celestine Babayaro goal - his first of the season - two minutes after half-time was enough for Chelsea to claim all three points on Saturday.

The Nigerian got in behind the Boro back-line to latch onto Gianfranco Zola's superbly chipped through ball over young right-back Stuart Parnaby's head. Babayaro steadied himself before blasting past 'keeper Mark Schwarzer.

That strike meant Boro's winless run at the Bridge stretched to 12 games - a sequence that has not seen Boro record victory there since 1975.

But this latest defeat against Chelsea was no embarrassment for Boro. Claudio Ranieri's men are a force to be reckoned with this season and look like they are heading for a Champions League place.

The Londoners are now unbeaten in six matches, whereas McClaren's side are still searching for only their second away victory of the season.

A poor first half meant both sides were restricted to long shots, with 36-year-old Zola - the Premiership's leading scorer - Mario Melchiot, Graeme LeSaux and Eidur Gudjohnsen guilty of wayward shooting for the hosts.

Boro's Massimo Maccarone, without a goal since the win at Tottenham, should have done better in the first half when he went clean through.

Instead of squaring to an unmarked Geremi though, Maccarone's two shots were saved by in-form Carlo Cudicini.

After Babayaro's goal, Boro calmed down and when Alen Boksic and Noel Whelan were introduced with 19 minutes left their attacking impetus increased.

But Boksic's volley from Geremi's perfect cross flew over the bar and Cudicini's punching save from Joseph-Desire Job's 90th minute effort meant Boro had to leave London without any capital gains.