MICHAEL Carrick admitted his Boro side were second best on a day when they were comprehensively outplayed.
Boro had been on a seven-game winning run, but the Potters put paid to that at the Riverside Stadium.
“We just didn’t have that spark, too many of the boys were not quite at it,” he conceded.
“We came off it a little bit and sometimes you can get away with it, but we came across a good team that punished us.
“We have to accept it and put our hands up and say today was not for us. We have to move on now.
“It’s disappointing. You...