Head coach Aitor Karanka was satisfied with the performance following the scoreless encounter with current champions Leicester City at the Riverside.
Honours were shared in a disappointing spectacle with little in the way of clear goalscoring opportunities for either side.
It leaves the Teessiders still four points above the drop-zone after the later results.
“I am pleased with the players because it’s two days after the tough defeat on Saturday against Manchester United,” Karanka told BBC Sport. “We played against a team who won the league last season and are in the Champions League – but we were better than them.
“I am happy with the performance but we could not score the goal.”
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