Ricard lays Spurs low

“I thought the three officials tonight were absolutely awful,” Graham said. “I thought the referee started very, very nervously and then he became purely incompetent,” added Graham, who felt there was a foul in the build up to Middlesbrough’s equaliser when Spurs were leading 1-0.

Ricard’s double, taking his total to 13 for the season, and an own-goal by Spurs defender Stephen Carr after Chris Armstrong had given the home side the lead maintained Boro’s seven match unbeaten run, despite a late David Ginola special, in what was an entertaining but meaningless mid-table runout.

Ricard, who had returned after Colombia’s scoreless draw with Brazil in the opening World Cup qualifier, struck in the 65th minute when Walker flapped at a corner and Chris Perry’s muffed kick fell to the Colombian striker who hit home from 12 metres out.

The 26-year-old then wrapped up the three points with a simple header, after he completely lost his marker Steffen Iversen, from Christian Ziege’s freekick although Walker was again at fault for not coming for the ball.

However, French ace Ginola, who had struck the post earlier in the second-half, gave them some hope when he scored a typically brilliant solo goal, picking the ball up on the left and drifting across the pitch skilfully evading the tackle of Curtis Fleming, and hit it home from 25 metres out with six minutes remaining.

Carr, who has recently returned after a serious leg injury, appeared not to see that Walker had come off his line and his backpass turned into an own goal.