United manager Simon Grayson was left simmering after watching side go down to Middlesbrough at Elland Road on Saturday.

While happy enough with the performance, the United manager was fuming at a game that he believed hinged on three sending offs - two of them being Jonny Howson and Max Gradel.

"There were a lot of positives," he said. "We worked hard, we chased, harried and stayed in the game as long as possible, but we weren't helped by the decisions.

"We were hugely disappointed. 11 v 11 it would have been a good game because we are a good team and they are a good team."

Grayson reeled himself in from criticising referee Anthony Taylor at the post-match press conference, but the boss did quiz the merits of a decision which appeared to be made the fourth official when Howson was given a second yellow card to reduce Leeds to nine men.

"The referee made a rod for his own back very early," said Grayson. "Tony McMahon and Max both got booked early on. You expect challenges like that to be made, he'd have had a rocket from me if he hadn't have made it. There were decisions that baffled you. When McMahon got sent off for them I didn't think wasn't a second yellow card either.

"Jonny had already been booked when Emnes went down. He gave us a free-kick, Emnes is rolling around, and they say you can't book players while they are down. But within that 10-second period, the fourth official who was 60 yards away says something to over the earpiece…how someone 60 yards away can say he's got it wrong when he was only 10 or 15 yards away I don't know.

"If it's in front of you and the fourth official sees something the referee has missed he can overrule it, but this was 60 yards away, the ref was closer than anyone and made a decision that was then changed."

One of the positives the manager was quick to draw on was the presence of two more youngsters. Tom Lees made his full debut while Zac Thompson stepped off the bench for the first time.

"I thought Tom was excellent," added the boss. "I'm delighted with how he did. He has earned that opportunity. Zac also came on and looked very assured. That could be great for the football club two young lads coming on."