Boss Steve Cooper was left to rue an afternoon when Nottingham Forest “fell short” as their nine-match unbeaten run came to an end.
The Reds slumped to only their second defeat since the Welshman took charge, losing 2-0 at Middlesbrough amid an uncharacteristically poor display.
A horrible Ryan Yates own goal had gifted the hosts the lead in a dismal first half for the visitors.
And after Philip Zinckernagel had spurned a good opportunity on the hour, Andraz Sporar went on to kill the game off.
“In terms of the result and the performance, we fell short today. First half, especially, there were a number of reasons why we were second best - although we still gave away a goal which you didn’t expect to,” said Cooper.
“The message at half-time was, as poor as we’ve been, it’s still only 1-0 and it can only, hopefully, get better.
“We changed a few things tactically and changed the formation. To be fair, we did slowly come back into the game.
“We missed a brilliant chance with Phil. Momentum was maybe coming our way a little bit, then we conceded the second goal and it was too much of a mountain to climb then.
“It was clear to see why we didn’t play well. Technically, we were below par; we gave away the ball too much, balls were being over-hit or going out of play - that’s not been like us. And without the ball, we just didn’t get enough pressure on it.
“Middlesbrough played well, particularly in the first half. You have to give them credit.
“But at the same time, we were too easy to play against in the first half.”
The result meant Forest missed the chance to break into the Championship’s top six for the first time this season, having recorded three straight wins prior to the Boxing Day clash.
Cooper is now looking for a reaction when Huddersfield Town make the trip to the City Ground on Thursday.
“It’s always about how you react after any game,” he said.
“We’ve had some good wins recently, and I’ve always said to the players, it’s about how you react to that - about not getting complacent.
“This is about not getting too down. Disappointing? Yes. Fell short? Yes, of course.
“But if you want to be an achieving team in this league, it’s about reacting to everything well.
“We have to react to a poor result and performance.
“There were lots of things which didn’t go well. If you do that, then it will constitute you not playing well enough to win the game.
“It’s not been like us, but it does happen. You win, lose and draw games in this league. Sometimes you play well and don’t get what you deserve, and vice versa.
“You have to deal with it, you have to get on with it, you have to get back to the training ground and get ready for the next one.”
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