It wasn't quite the fireworks we were hoping for after Andi Weimann provided hope of three crucial points but there's no doubt Bristol City could leave the Riverside with credit.
In Michael Carrick's first home game in charge of Middlesbrough, the hosts were always going to have their tails up, especially after picking up a victory over Hull during the week.
City had to ride their luck at times and have Max O'Leary to thank for providing a number of really important stops but a point on the road at a side who were widely tipped for promotion at the beginning of the campaign can't be underestimated.
It was City at their ruthless best when the Austrian scored the opener by finishing off a superb attacking move. Tommy Conway was involved as he played a superb cross back across the goal and his team-mate couldn't miss unmarked at the back post.
The timing of the equaliser would have infuriated Nigel Pearson which came just two minutes into the second half. Whatever was said at the break must have fallen on deaf ears when Chuba Akpom finally breached O'Leary's goal.
From there on out, time seemed to crawl in the second half as City soaked up a relentless amount of pressure but they showed character and resilience to make the long trip down south with a hard-earned point.
Here's the talking points from the Riverside Stadium.
A tough ask
I don't think anybody could have foreseen Pearson's team selection yesterday with Jay Dasilva and Mark Sykes coming out of the side. It was a guessing game before kick-off on who would be at wing-backs which quickly became evident after kick-off with Andi Weimann and Antoine Semenyo handed the job on the flanks.
The manager admitted he wanted to take the risk by getting his forward players in wide positions with the plan for them to make the run towards the back post, pin their defenders back and latch onto crosses. After all, with this City team, sometimes attack is the best form of defence.
It worked when Weimann was on hand to knock in the opener but we've seen the impact he can have anywhere on the pitch, especially at wing-back following his numerous cameos there last season. This time the focus was on Semenyo who initially started out on the right side.
It was a difficult opening 20 minutes or so with the striker caught out of position, leaving Zak Vyner with the really difficult job to cover that ground. Middlesbrough exploited that space on numerous occasions during that period with O'Leary forced to make an early double save.
Although Vyner didn't cover himself in glory with his first-half performance, often playing too narrow while O'Leary bailed him out after almost gifting Marcus Forss a goal.
Pearson then made the call to switch Semenyo and Weimann over so the striker could play in front of the dugout. The manager admitted it was to help coach him through the game having been deployed in an unfamiliar position.
Now it's difficult not to feel sympathetic towards Semenyo. It's clearly not his position and from a defensive perspective, he found it very difficult to get to grips with the movement of his opponent behind.
Every so often, he'd find himself drifting back into the middle of the park leaving a huge gap of space for the likes of Riley McGree to exploit. The warning sides were there in the first half, but Pearson opted to stick with Semenyo at wing-back in the second period where they were very quickly punished.
He was way up the field when Boro broke forward and the cross from the left flicked off Vyner's boot and into Akpom's path. Even in an attacking sense, Semenyo struggled to show his quality and get himself into those goalscoring positions.
He looked a little lost, not really knowing when to time his run forward and when to drop deeper to pick up the ball. In the end, he lasted 70 minutes before Jay Dasilva came on meaning Weimann could switch back to the other flank.
The gamble certainly paid off with Weimann and you have to admire the bravery to make that call at wing-back with Dasilva and Sykes not contributing enough going forward on a regular basis. But Semenyo was an experiment that didn't work out.
Now there's no questioning Semenyo's commitment but there could be a thought at the back of his mind that he has a World Cup just around the corner. We've seen players dropping out of the tournament through injury and the striker may also be subconsciously holding back to limit the chance of him picking up a heartbreaking injury, especially having suffered a shin problem over the summer.
For players, featuring in a World Cup is the pinnacle so it's understandable if that thought may be having an impact on his performance.
One more off the conveyor belt
Another nod to the superb work of Brian Tinnion and Co that another academy product was handed his senior debut. It was also a real sign of trust from Pearson to bring the youngster on for the final 10 minutes of the game when City were penned in their own half.
Pearson turned to Low, a towering brute of a centre-back, to help see out an important point and albeit being a brief cameo, he stood up to his task. Low did receive a ridiculously harsh booking when he was adjudged to have pulled back his man but replays showed there was barely any contact.
Low, just 20-years-old, has been in the squad for the last three matchdays as a reward for his performances for the Under-21s this season. He has captained the youngsters to the summit of the table and has often been the standout performer in the middle of the back three.
He has the attributes that Pearson likes in a defender. He's strong, robust and doesn't shirk out of a tackle. Low is also a throwback to the old-fashioned centre-back whose primary job is to defend first.
When speaking about Low in his post-match comments, Pearson said: "Great moment for him and his family and of course another positive day for our academy.
"I wasn't worried about him going on there because at the end of the game what we needed more than anything was players prepared to throw themselves in front of anything and he loves defending so I'm really pleased for him."
With Lincoln at home in the cup during the week, perhaps his first taste of senior action yesterday was welcome preparation for a full debut that could very well be on the horizon.
Back among the goals
If Bristol City are to arrest this slump in form over the last 12 matches, they need Weimann to start scoring regularly again. He set himself such a high bar last season with 22 league goals that his goal drought before today and form, in general, had become a concern.
Yesterday's strike was his first in 16 City matches but it was Weimann at his best picking up the ball in the left wing-back role. He drove forward, cut inside and played Conway out to the right.
Weimann then continued his movement into the area and duly obliged when his team-mate fed the ball back across goal right into his path. It was a superb counter-attacking goal and a glimpse of the City we became accustomed to seeing before the international break.
You could also sense the relief for the striker when the ball hit the back of the net. It's been a long time coming for him and with any luck, that could spark a run of goalscoring form to get City climbing the table.
Pearson said of his performance after the game: "He's been a bit frustrated that he's not had chances falling for him. They seem to fall to other people but we were confident before the game that he would get at least one chance at the far post just because when the ball's on the opposite side he's always looking to get into a goalscoring position.
"I'm pleased for him today and I think the combination of the attacking players, it was good to see. It was a good move."
His all-round play in his last two appearances following a small spell out of the side has been a lot more encouraging. A dip in form saw Pearson put Weimann on the bench against West Brom and Reading before illness kept him out of the squad in the draw over Swansea.
It was the rest he needed with Pearson also acknowledging his drop in performance was also down to the relentless amount of football he has played. He started every Championship game for City last season and only had 10 days off over the summer due to his international exploits.
After Lincoln on Tuesday, City have one more home game against Watford next weekend before a three-week break which will give Weimann ample opportunity to rest up and hit the ground running on his return to action in December.
A shoutout to Max
There has been a lot of focus on O'Leary's ability to command his area from crosses which is the reason why he has come into the side ahead of Dan Bentley following the 3-0 defeat at Birmingham.
Yesterday we saw a different side to his game and one which provides further evidence as to why he has been handed the No1 shirt going forward. He made numerous brilliant saves, including a double stop to prevent Middlesbrough taking the lead.
It proved vital because just a minute or so later City went up the other end to open the scoring. O'Leary performed like a player who is full of confidence and it's reflected in his game.
He also showed his authority with one moment in the first half after tipping a powerful effort over the crossbar after Timm Klose had lost the ball in a dangerous area. O'Leary went over to the defender and gave him a few choice words before coming out to defend a corner.
I'm sure I won't be the only one to believe his days at the Robins were numbered after failing to hold down the shirt last season on top of Stefan Bajic signing on a free transfer. However, he's slowly cementing his position as the No1 and that's credit to his character to come back and prove he is capable of performing at this level.
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