ANOTHER two goals for Aiyegbeni Yakubu and one for the only defender at Middlesbrough who seems able to score, yet Steve McClaren's men have still lost further ground on the teams in the top half of the Premier League over the weekend.

Not for the first time, and probably not for the last, Boro showed why they are one of the Premiership's most prolific teams, but deficiencies in defence have ensured they will end 2005 towards the wrong end of the top-flight.

On the plus side Yakubu is looking a bargain - even at £7.5m. Yesterday he showed once again just why his manager is so keen for the striker not to go to the African Nations Cup, while it also highlighted the reasons Nigeria are so desperate for him to join them in Egypt.

After Robbie Keane had tapped Tottenham into the lead, Boro's top summer buy turned on the style to grab his ninth and tenth league goals for the club - only Ruud van Nistelrooy and Frank Lampard have more this season.

But his double, even if one of those arrived in fortuitous circumstances when James Morrison's drive deflected off the forward before flying past Paul Robinson, proved insufficient to guarantee Boro the points.

After former Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas' outstanding free-kick brought Spurs back on level terms at 2-2, Franck Queudrue's restored the Teessiders' advantage with his third goal of the season, only for Egyptian forward Mido to secure Tottenham a point with just seven minutes remaining.

Boro may have at least prevented losing a third successive league game for the first time since May 2003, but a reccurring failure to keep a clean sheet looks increasingly likely to stop the club from repeating last season's top-seven finish.

Boro's emphatic European form is a far cry from their inconsistency in the Premiership - even if yesterday's display once again rubbished the ongoing suggestion they are boring.

Such has been the side's erratic nature, Saturday results left them six points adrift of Newcastle in tenth position.

To highlight Boro's position of under-achievement still further, it was by the same number of points that the relegation zone appeared ominously behind them.

Thursday's triumph over Litex Lovech, which secured top spot in Group D of the UEFA Cup and set up a last 32 date with German giants Stuttgart, was achieved with a number of the club's highly-rated youngsters on show.

But McClaren resisted the temptation to include the star of the show that night, Adam Johnson, with the talented winger omitted, to accommodate summer signing Fabio Rochemback.

The change meant the natural balance the teenager would have brought to the mix was sadly lacking.

Nevertheless Boro, despite their soporific start, were hardly tested to the full at the other end as Tottenham were similarly bereft of options on the flanks - ramming home why they are keen admirers of both Stewart Downing and Johnson.

Apart from three early bookings - Michael Dawson, Edgar Davids and Doriva - there was very little for the Boro fans to be excited about inside the first 20 minutes.

Queudrue curled a free-kick high and wide before Andy Reid's long range drive flew harmlessly over, as the biggest talking points centred on the inability of the two sets of players to pass to their own man.

And the ineffective passing at the start from Boro clearly rubbed off on the one man Boro could have done without being hit by the bug - their goalkeeper.

A pretty routine cross from left-back Young-Pyo Lee should have been gathered by Schwarzer. Instead, the Australian's attempts to catch under pressure from Mido failed.

Republic of Ireland striker Keane then had the simple task of tapping into an unguarded net.

But the goal proved to be the kick-start Boro had been searching for and they suddenly had a fresh impetus about their attacking play. They did not have to wait too long for the equaliser.

After Rochemback's poor corner found its way back to the Brazilian, he passed inside to Queudrue.

Queudrue's centre bounced off the head of Mark Viduka at the near post and fell kindly to the unmarked Yakubu at the back post. He volleyed first time beyond England goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

From that point, Boro looked the only side likely to be in front at half-time.

And with just two minutes until the break, Boro made a quick foray forward on the counter-attack.

The move ended with Yakubu picking out Morrison on the right wing before darting towards the box. The Darlington-born midfielder cut inside Lee and Dawson before unleashing a left-foot strike that caught Yakubu on the way, before flying into Robinson's bottom right for his 11th goal since signing.

After the restart only Robinson's expertise between the posts denied the former Portsmouth man his hat-trick. This time he met Morrison's pinpoint cross with a powerful header from eight yards, after a strong run into the box, and the Tottenham keeper somehow tipped over.

Boro's failure to make the most of their share of the possession always left the door open for Spurs to claw themselves back into the game and that is exactly what happened.

After making a complete hash of a free-kick on the edge of Boro area, Tottenham had a second chance in a similar position when Yakubu was adjudged to have brought down Davids.

This time, after taking his time to size up where he was going to place his shot, Jenas' exceptionally placed dead ball curled into Schwarzer's bottom right corner.

To Boro's credit, though, there was no resignation, just a determination to finish the job they had started.

Robinson denied Morrison a goal that could not have been taken away from him but he was helpless to prevent the home side re-taking the lead.

Rochemback, who is still struggling to come to terms with life in the English top-flight, had something to cheer when he delivered the corner for Queudrue's goal, which should have won it.

The Frenchman's header bounced off the underside of the bar and inches over the line. However, Mido had other ideas and climbed high to pull Tottenham level for a third time.

After Morrison had been stretchered off - he was knocked out by a kick in the face from Keane - and Yakubu had been denied again by Robinson, Schwarzer made amends for his first half howler by thwarting Defoe's advances as he ran through on goal.

Result: Middlesbrough 3, Tottenham Hotspur 3.

Read more about Middlesbrough here.