MICHAEL Carrick slammed the "big decisions" that went against Middlesbrough in the 2-0 defeat to Sunderland, with the Boro boss fuming at Dael Fry's red card and the penalty award that set the Black Cats on their way to victory.

Carrick admitted his side were below-par at the Stadium of Light but was still confident Boro would take at least a point after positive half-time dressing room discussions, when the game was goalless.

But just six minutes after the restart, Fry was adjudged to have fouled Ross Stewart as the pair raced to get to Patrick Roberts' through-ball, the striker tumbling as he advanced into the box, despite contact between the pair starting well outside. Referee James Linington awarded a penalty and then gave Fry a straight red card.

"I don't agree with either to be honest with you," said Carrick.

"For the sending off, I don't think Dael has made any attempt to bring him down, there wasn't a push, a pull, a trip, he's literally running in a straight line. Ross is entitled to go down, I don't blame him, but from Dael's point of view there's nothing deliberate about it to try and pull him down.

"Then it's out of the box, it's not even worth me answering that. It changed the game. In big games like this you can't get them decisions wrong.

"Of course, Dael’s disappointed. There’s not much more you can say about that really. He’s been terrific for us, but he got punished far too harshly from what I can see."

Carrick wouldn't commit to a Boro appeal against the decision but strongly suggested that would be the case.

The Boro head coach was "disappointed" with his side's first half display at the Stadium of Light but was confident the visitors would have taken something from the game had it not been for the penalty and red card decisions.

He said: "Sometimes you come to places where they have a good team and you can’t expect to have it all your own way. They have some really good players, in forward positions specifically, that can cause you problems. It (the first half display) wasn’t surprising, but it’s disappointing.

"I thought we started well enough in the second half, there was a real desire in the changing room at half-time to come out and be that bit better and we believed we could win the game. The sending off and penalty put us behind and we were chasing but we deal with that really well and were positive, so I was pleased with the lads with how they went about that."

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The big positive for Carrick was the manner in which Boro responded to falling behind and going down to 10 men, but Sunderland wrapped up the points thanks to Amad Diallo late on, though Carrick felt his side should have had a late penalty when Chuba Akpom went down in the box.

Carrick said: "We weren't at our best, we know that, but that's football, you can't always be at your best. It can't always be as perfect as we want it but we were well in the game and with 10 men we dealt with that really well. I was really pleased with the lads how we dealt with that.

"We kept our shape well, looked a threat, still got on the front foot when we could and at 1-0 I still fancied us to get back in the game. So I was really pleased with that, that was a real positive.

"The second goal kills it, but we should have a penalty late on with five minutes to go, so that's two big decisions that have gone against us."