THERE is no shame in losing to the best team in the Championship – the challenge facing Middlesbrough now is to ensure they are still playing Burnley as equals in the Premier League next season.

The Clarets have guaranteed their return to English football’s promised land at the first time of asking thanks to last night’s 2-1 win at the Riverside, quite an achievement given they still have seven games of the season to go.

Boro’s hopes of joining them in the top two have all but disappeared given they are now nine points adrift of second-placed Sheffield United, having played a game more than the Blades, so if Michael Carrick’s side are to win promotion, it will almost certainly be via the play-offs. At least, on this evidence, they should be more than capable of matching whoever they find themselves up against.

They gave Burnley a decent game last night, replying to Ashley Barnes’ opener with a penalty from Chuba Akpom and only succumbing to defeat when Connor Roberts turned home Nathan Tella’s cross midway through the second half.

Boro weren’t bad for much of the evening, it was just that in pretty much every aspect of the game, Burnley were that little bit better. Hence why the Clarets are already celebrating promotion.

In the space of less than a season, Vincent Kompany has assembled a side that is at least worthy of stylistic comparisons to the Manchester City team that he helped dominate the English top-flight during his playing days at the Etihad. Neat and tidy in possession, masters of the high press when they have lost the ball, and always willing to take risks no matter where they are on the field, Carrick will almost certainly be an admirer of this Burnley team. In many ways, they are the template for what he is trying to develop on Teesside.

They are certainly much-changed from the long-ball unit that came down under Sean Dyche last season, although it was perhaps fitting that one of the few remaining throwbacks to the ‘old Burnley’ opened the scoring as their redemption was confirmed on Teesside.

Barnes is in his ninth season as a Burnley player, and while Zack Steffen would probably have saved Josh Brownhill’s 20-yard effort when the midfielder let fly in the 12th minute, he was rendered helpless when Barnes stuck out a foot to deflect the ball into the net.

Burnley should really have been two up at the break, but Tella shot wide after breaking clear beyond Darragh Lenihan.

Boro had opportunities of their own before the interval, although they tended to be created under pressure, such was the intensity of Burnley’s all-round play.

Cameron Archer volleyed over prior to Barnes’ opener, while Akpom would almost certainly have backed himself to have done better when Roberts’ sliding challenge presented him with the ball shortly after the deadlock was broken. From 20 yards out, the Championship’s leading scorer lashed a hurried shot over the bar.

Not, however, that Akpom was going to be denied for too long. Less than two minutes of the second half had gone when the star of Boro’s season was presented with the opportunity to equalise from the penalty spot, with Josh Cullen clumsily bundling over Archer as the striker prepared to claim possession after a shot had been blocked. Akpom stepped up and drilled home his 27th league goal from the penalty spot.

Boro spent the next ten minutes or so on the front foot, and had another penalty appeal waved away when Archer went down again under pressure from Brownhill, but Burnley restored their advantage as their slick passing opened up the home side’s defence again midway through the second half.

Tella broke into space on the right and slid a low cross into the middle, and having broken purposefully into the penalty area, Roberts was left with the simple task of turning the ball home.

Burnley’s celebrations were soured when Johann Berg Gudmundsson appeared to be struck by something thrown from the crowd, but the Clarets celebrated enthusiastically when the final whistle blew.