Leicester City were struck by a “very cruel” late equaliser with Marti Cifuentes believing his team showed the qualities needed to reverse their fortunes.
City now have just one victory in 10 after Luke Ayling nodded in a 96th-minute equaliser for 10-man Boro on Tuesday night.
But after “some very difficult days” following their 2-0 defeat to Blackburn, their third consecutive loss, Cifuentes at least felt he saw the character on display that will secure City wins in the coming months.
He told his players at full-time that their effort warranted all three points.
“I want to praise the players,” Cifuentes said. “I want to praise the commitment. It’s a very cruel way to finish the game.
“In terms of attitude, in terms of character, in terms of passion and commitment, it was excellent, but unfortunately in these minutes, we should have done better.
“Football is a lot about feelings. Definitely, in another situation playing against 10 men, we should have managed it in a very different way.
“I’m a big believer that if we keep doing what we did today in terms of character, in terms of commitment with each other, I’m sure we can get a lot of points in this league.
“The players have been excellent since the last game. It’s been some very tough days for all of us.
“It’s very clear that the team is together. I just said to the players that it’s very tough not to get the three points because of the attitude.
“I’m not saying we played the best game because there are a lot of things we can improve.
“But I think that’s the foundation. In a league like this, you need this work ethic, this commitment with each other and I think the togetherness was very clear to see on the pitch.”
The stalemate means City remain in the lower half, and they could even drop down to 16th if results go against them on Wednesday night.