After a bitterly disappointing defeat to Burton Albion on Tuesday evening, Middlesbrough were eliminated from the League Cup, with the League One side progressing to the semi-final stage.

Tony Pulis said after the match his side has “got to show some character" in light of their cup exit, heading into this weekend’s game with relegation-threatened Reading.

Boro have won three of the last 11 matches in all competitions – with the defeat last night extending their winless run in league and cup to five games.

In an interview with the club’s official media, Pulis said: “They’re really disappointed in there, and everyone else will be, but we’ve got to show some character now.”

This comment seemed to irk many Middlesbrough fans after what was a poor performance and result at the Riverside.

There was plenty of reaction to the pull-quote on social media after the final whistle, with hoards of the club’s supporters expressing their displeasure at their current manager after the shock giant-killing.

Had Boro won, they would have progressed to their first League Cup semi-final since 2004 when they last won the competition.

With that said, here’s how the Middlesbrough supporters reacted to Pulis’ comments after the defeat to Burton on Twitter.