WHEN Juande Ramos looks back on his first season at White Hart Lane and examines the size of his transfer kitty, no doubt he won’t be dwelling on the Carling Cup triumph but rather Tottenham’s generosity towards the opposition once they have taken the lead, and yesterday they were handing out the presents again.

Tottenham have dropped 31 points in games where they have taken the lead, far more than any Premier League club.

Yesterday they were lucky to get anything from the game at all after they had dominated the first half and taken the lead through an own goal from Middlesbrough’s inexperienced left-back, Jonathan Grounds. Middlesbrough dominated the second half, equalised through a long-distance strike by Stewart Downing and had their great new hope, Afonso Alves, been more accurate in front of goal, would have embarrassed the home side even further. As it was, Tottenham’s England players, with the exception perhaps of Aaron Lennon, won’t have done anything to enhance their international chances in front of the watching Fabio Capello.

Paul Robinson was absent yesterday as he continued to struggle with an ankle injury, allowing Radek Cerny to stake his claim again to a first team place, though the Czech looked nervy throughout.

Fortune smiled on him on a couple of occasions, though the same could not be said for Middlesbrough youngster Grounds. The 20-year-old academy graduate scored an own goal on 25 minutes, though he can console himself that the virtuosity of Dimitar Berbatov was the most eye- catching moment of the move. Tightly marked with his back to goal on the left-hand edge of the penalty area, he flicked the ball up and in an instant there was a dangerous-looking cross making its way to the far post. There, Lennon pushed the ball back into the six-yard box, where it bounced off Grounds and into the net.

The lead was no more than Tottenham deserved at that stage, even though they might have been a goal down as early as the first minute. Jeremie Aliadiere found himself in space on the edge of the penalty area and Cerny could only parry his powerfully hit shot, but Alvez was offside as he poked the ball into the net. Lennon was soon proving himself Tottenham’s busiest player. Switching briefly onto the left flank, he fed Keane and his cross landed perfectly for Berbatov, who should have scored with his header but instead directed the ball straight at Mark Schwarzer.

A two-goal lead would not have flattered Tottenham at the break, but the draw did at the end.

Four minutes after the interval a corner by Gary O’Neil was met with a great header by their towering centre-half David Wheater, but Lennon cleared off his line. O’Neil was proving a constant threat down the right, with Downing coming more into the game on the other flank, while Jermaine Jenas, so full of life in the first half, was visibly running out of steam. Tom Huddlestone, who had replaced the wayward Steed Malbranque, wasn’t faring any better.

Boro’s equaliser, however, came out of the blue. Grounds, who had been given a torrid time by Lennon, was replaced on 63 minutes by Adam Johnson, with Downing being told to play left-back, much to his evident disgust.

Ironically, however, he probably wouldn’t have scored his goal otherwise. A clearance from the Tottenham box landed at his feet about 40 yards out and he cut inside.

He then unleashed a shot that appeared to take a slight deflection off the head of Jenas and ended up flying low into the left-hand corner of Cerny’s net, the goalkeeper standing motionless in apparent disbelief.

Ten minutes later, Alves had a great chance to score the winner. A long clearance from the left-back position allowed the Brazilian to outpace the defence, but his low shot across the goal drifted agonisingly past the post.

A great block by Gilberto, a replacement for Pascal Chimbonda, then denied another substitute, Tuncay Sanli, as Spurs hung on at the end.

Star man: Gary O’Neil (Middlesbrough)

Player ratings: Tottenham: Cerny 5, Hutton 7, Dawson 6, Woodgate 6, Chimbonda 5 (Gilberto 70min), Lennon 7 (Bent 75min), Zokora 6, Jenas 6, Malbranque 5 (Huddlestone 60min, 5), Berbatov 7, Keane 5
Middlesbrough: Schwarzer 6, Young 6, Wheater 6, Pogatetz 6, Grounds 5 (Johnson 64min), O’Neil 7 (Tuncay 74min), Boateng 6, Arca 6 (Rochemback 67min), Downing 7, Aliadiere 6, Alves 6

Yellow cards: Middlesbrough: Pogatetz, Arca, Young

Referee: M Halsey

Attendance: 36,092