MIDDLESBROUGH’S five-game unbeaten run came to an end as they conceded two goals in the space of 12 second-half minutes to crash to  3-1 defeat to Championship leaders Burnley.

Leading through substitute Duncan Watmore’s 49th-minute strike, Boro were pegged back when Manuel Benson cut infield to fire home.

Benson scored again with a cross that evaded Zack Steffen and went in off the far post, before Jonny Howson completed Boro’s implosion by glancing a header into his own net.

Burnley finished with ten men after Connor Roberts was sent off for deliberate handball despite not appearing to make any contact with the ball, but the Teessiders’ miserable afternoon was completed when Chuba Akpom’s subsequent penalty was saved.

It was Carrick’s second defeat since taking charge of Boro, with Burnley meriting all three points thanks to their second-half dominance.

Carrick and Vincent Kompany are two bright young head coaches making their way in management, and their influence in terms of organising their sides was evident throughout a tight first half in which chances were at a premium.

Burnley dominated possession for most of the afternoon, but Boro’s defensive shape was excellent and the visitors worked tirelessly to close their opponents down. As a result, while the Clarets might have had plenty of the ball, they rarely threatened in the final third.

They created the game’s first opportunity midway through the first half, but while Ian Maatsen released Johann Berg Gudmundsson into the inside-left channel, Steffen was alert to the danger and raced from his line to block the Icelander’s shot.

Darragh Lenihan also produced an important block shortly after the half-hour mark, with the centre-half getting his body in the way of a strike from Benson.

Boro hadn’t created anything of note at that stage, but they finally threatened seven minutes before the interval as Akpom won the ball close to the halfway line and swept upfield.

He passed to Riley McGree, the Aussie World Cup star teed up Isaiah Jones, but while the winger turned neatly to create a shooting opportunity on the corner of the area, he was unable to make a clean connection and his weak effort sailed harmlessly through to Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.

The Teessiders should have threatened again four minutes later, but while they found themselves with a three-on-two break, McGree chose the wrong option as he passed to Jones, whose cross from the right-hand side was blocked.

Burnley’s best first-half moments came in the 60 seconds or so before the interval. Josh Brownhill shot over the crossbar after turning neatly in the area, before Steffen got himself into trouble as he failed to make any contact with Maatsen’s cross after leaving his line. The ball broke to Benson at the back post, but Lenihan headed away the midfielder’s goal-bound strike.

Carrick opted to make a change at half-time, bringing on Watmore for the ineffective Marcus Forss, and the substitute had an instant impact as he claimed the opener within four minutes of coming onto the field.

The build-up to the goal was a bizarre one, with Benson’s desperation not to concede a throw in seeing him hook the ball towards his own goal rather than allowing it to go out. Watmore seized on the loose ball, and after driving towards goal, he stroked a superb low finish past Muric’s right hand.

Benson was badly at fault, but the Burnley winger atoned for his error as he equalised on the hour mark.

Jordan Beyer picked him out on the right touchline, and after cutting inside Ryan Giles as he burst infield, he fired a fine finish past Steffen.

The impressive Benson wasn’t finished there, with his second goal in the space of seven minutes handing Burnley the lead.

Steffen will feel he should have done much better, with the Boro goalkeeper appearing to lose the flight of the ball as Jay Rodriguez made an unsuccessful attempt to connect with Benson’s inswinging cross from the right. With the winger’s delivery evading everyone, the ball went into the net off the inside of the far post.

Boro were reeling, and they were effectively down and out when Burnley scored a third goal in the 72nd minute. Josh Brownhill swung in a corner from the left, and as he jumped at the front post, Howson flicked a header into his own net.

That should really have been that, but Boro were handed a lifeline in bizarre circumstances with one minute left. Akpom beat Muric to a cross from Jones to loop a header towards goal, and Roberts raised his hand to try flick the ball away.

He didn’t appear to make any contact, with the ball coming off the crossbar, but referee David Webb clearly felt he had handled and issued a straight red card.

Akpom failed to take advantage, though, as he rolled a poor penalty to Muric’s right, enabling the Burnley keeper to make a low save.