A 50th Premier League game in charge for Gareth Southgate, a first for Juande Ramos. It was inevitable then that one of those pivotal little games in a long season should prove only that there is much work to be done on Teesside for the likeable Middlesbrough manager and in north London for the Spaniard.

A draw was about right. Neither side deserved to leave the Riverside empty-handed, the quality of the two goals – by two former Charlton men, Darren Bent and Luke Young – belying a fitfully interesting match between two brittle sides desperately short of confidence. Not one for the beaming smile, Ramos might have been marginally the more contented of the two managers. He is finding out more about his squad every game and a point lifts Tottenham out of the relegation zone, albeit on goal difference from Wigan.

It would be nice to be able to transmit Ramos’s thoughts on his debut in the Premier League, but his No 2 Gus Poyet appeared at the postmatch press conference instead to explain that, for this match, “we” – he meant Ramos – thought Jermain Defoe and Bent was the best combination. “Everybody in the squad knows they have a chance of getting in the team,” said Poyet. “When we start winning, we can keep the same team.”

That sounded like Ramos, who took Sevilla to five trophies, including a 4-0 win over Steve McClaren’s Middlesbrough in the final of the Uefa Cup, and into the Champions League with swift counter-attacking football and an accent on teamwork. The occasionally threatening Aaron Lennon, like Jesus Navas at Sevilla, might see a lot of action in the coming months.

Middlesbrough left the field at halftime to the jeers of their supporters and their reception was scarcely better at full time, which was puzzling, given the effort and commitment of their side. “I’ve just got to deal with that and take responsibility,” said Southgate. “We’ve got to dig in, but we’re still there and still above Tottenham. But we need the crowd with us.”

Southgate was doubtless as surprised as everyone else by the shape of the new Spurs, rather different from the side that beat them in the Carling Cup a few weeks before. No Dimitar Berbatov, no Robbie Keane, a first league start for Kevin-Prince Boateng, a £6m midsummer buy from Hertha Berlin, and promotion to captaincy for Paul Robinson, whose future at the club was under discussion during the week. Nothing should surprise at Spurs these days, but the influence of Damien Comolli, the director of football and chief kingmaker, was evident. An injury to Jonathan Woodgate further exposed Middlesbrough’s limited resources.

If anything, Middlesbrough shaded the first half, though they conceded the opening goal for the 10th time in 12 matches this season. “It would be nice if we didn’t give away the first goal,” said Southgate. A cracking goal it was too, as Bent, £16m worth of striker, turned inside Chris Riggott and drove low past the Mark Schwarzer’s right hand in the 35th minute. Though Gary O’Neil, promoted to captain just two months after his transfer from Portsmouth, was a persistent threat to the left side of the Tottenham defence, exposing the lack of understanding between Younes Kaboul and Young-Pyo Lee, Middlesbrough lacked an obvious cutting edge in the absence of Mido, the former Spurs striker.

Their equaliser owed nothing to the strikers and everything to a stunning 25-yard shot by Young seven minutes after half time. When he hit it, there were two options: Row Z or the back of the net. But his first goal for his new club came not a moment too soon. Young began his career at White Hart Lane and last season was with Bent at Charlton, such are the twists and turns of life in the Premier League.

Ramos’s reaction to the equaliser was swift. Two strikers off, two strikers on. Southgate could but envy the reserve riches of the London club as he eyed his own bench. His striking reserves were down to a South Korean international and an academy graduate, neither proven at this level.

As the frantic pace of the game took its toll, Middlesbrough began to exploit the extra space. Michael Dawson’s error let in Tuncay, whose delayed cross deflected off the hand of the Spurs defender. Referee Mike Dean refused calls for the penalty, but Ramos had heard the alarm, replacing the tiring Boateng with Didier Zokora in a bid to bolster midfield. Southgate responded by bringing on Ben Hutchinson in place of Tuncay.

The game was there to be won now, a draw doing neither side much good. Perhaps Ramos would be happy with some semblance of stability after the recent turmoil, unaware presumably of Tottenham’s dismal record on Teesside: one win in eight. For Southgate, a run of five straight defeats loomed large. Instead of reaching a thudding climax, the game went quiet. “One point was not enough for us,” said Poyet. For Spurs any semblance of normality is a blessing.

Sevilla got off to a terrific start under new coach Manolo Jimenez last night when they beat Real Madrid 2-0 with first-half goals from Keito and Luis Fabiano. Real’s misery was complete after 52 minutes when Sergio Ramos was sent off.

Match stats

Star man: Pascal Chimbonda (Tottenham)

Player ratings: Middlesbrough:Schwarzer 5, Young 7, Riggott 6, Wheater 7, Taylor 6, O’Neil 6, Cattermole 6, Rochemback 6, Downing 5, Aliadiere 6 (Lee 77min), Tuncay 5 (Hutchinson 77min)

Tottenham: Robinson 6, Chimbonda 8, Kaboul 6, Dawson 5, Lee 6, Lennon 6, Boateng 7 (Zakora 62min), Jenas 6, Malbranque 7, Bent 6 (Berbatov 57min, 6), Defoe 6 (Keane 57min, 5)