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"The better team won, that was obvious to see," Mowbray admitted when he spoke after the game. "I'd like to think we'll use this as a kick up the backside and finish the season very, very strongly.
"It was a performance I haven't seen from this team, although there were similarities at Reading. The way we started tonight wasn't good enough and we lost two set-play goals.
"We were very aware that they were going to be on the front foot and be positive and we had to get our own game going, and we weren't able to do that."
Mowbray was late arriving for the post-match interview and was asked if there had been an inquest. He said: "It was more of a heart to heart and it's best kept in the dressing room. But I don't want to be over critical. The players have done fantastically well over the past few months and deserve credit for the fighting spirit they've shown. We need to get that back and I'm sure they will.
"But they were on the front foot from the start and we didn't cope with what they threw at us. You have to withstand pressure away from home and in previous games we've done that but tonight it wasn't as evident. We need to get back to the sort of spirit we showed at Portsmouth."
Whilst Mowbray wasn't best pleased with his team's performance it was very different when Burnley boss Eddie Howe spoke, claiming it to be our best performance since he became manager.
"I thought the lads were magnificent tonight," he said. "We wanted to take the game to Middlesbrough, but it's one thing saying it and another to do it. Without a shadow of a doubt that is easily the best performance since I've been here.
"We haven't created an abundance of chances in recent games, but I felt all the lads worked extremely hard, especially off the ball. We pressed really hard throughout, we started with a real intensity on the front foot and the most pleasing thing today was the amount of chances we created and the balls we put in their box.
"There were so many good performances and it's difficult to pick out individuals, so it was a good night for us."
Howe will take his side to Derby on the back of two wins, a different picture from last week when we'd won just one point from six games. "We had a wobble and lost a bit of confidence," he said. "But we knew that one result could change everything and look at us tonight.
"That should be a real confidence boost to the players and it gives me great confidence that we can attack these final games with enthusiasm.
"We have four to go and hopefully we can make it an exciting end to the season. We are one of a whole host of clubs fighting, but hopefully we can be the club that takes that sixth spot.
"Two games ago we looked out of it and now it has swung around. It's difficult to say what's going to happen, but Easter and two games in three days is going to be crucial.
"I am always going to want more and we need to follow that up now with a performance at Derby and then again against Portsmouth. It's going to be a tough shift for the players, especially as we've had a midweek game, but we need to keep striving for those standards."