Murphy turns on the magic to keep Charlton riding high

Middlesbrough 0 Charlton 3

The former Liverpool midfielder was in sparkling form again as Alan Curbishley's men sunk dismal Middlesbrough with a thoroughly accomplished performance at the Riverside Stadium.

Murphy set up Dennis Rommedahl to fire a cool low drive past Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer and give his side a deserved 37th minute advantage. Then he effectively sealed the game with a precise 81st minute free-kick which found the unlikely figure of Chris Perry to sidefoot home the visitors' decisive second.

Darren Bent's fourth goal of the season deep into injury time simply added insult to injury for Boro boss Steve McClaren's beleaguered troops.

Afterwards, jubilant Charlton boss Alan Curbishley urged Sven-Goran Eriksson to give Murphy another crack at World Cup contention. Curbishley insists there is currently no better midfielder in the country than Murphy. Eriksson was due in Newcastle yesterday to cast his eye over Scott Parker, among others, but Curbishley said: "I read that perhaps Mr Eriksson was going up to see this midfield player but we have had three games and for me, Danny has been the best midfielder in the country bar none.

"I don't know if anyone (from England) was at Sunderland or here today but Danny should not be discounted because he is still very young.

"He wanted someone to believe in him when he came to us and to show faith, and he played every game bar one for us. He came back for pre-season determined to be fitter, which he needed to do, and he has been excellent. I don't think there is a better midfielder in the Premiership at the moment but that is for other people to decide."

Curbishley expressed his delight at his side's third consecutive win but insisted no-one at the club would be prematurely celebrating as they continue to confound their critics this season.

"It will be a long season and we will not be getting carried away but when I looked at our fixtures, I thought we had a tough start - to have nine points is a great boost for us," he said.

"I think that the way we are set up now means we can really do damage to teams."

Despondent Boro boss Steve McClaren did not attempt to make excuses for his side's dismal display which destroyed all the good work from the midweek win at Birmingham.

McClaren described his reaction as "anger, disappointment, unacceptable" and said his players had a lot of questions to ask themselves as they go into the fortnight's international break.

"I let the players know there were no excuses and that was a Middlesbrough team I didn't recognise from ones we've generally put out over the last four years. That was a shadow of the team that played on Tuesday but one of the strengths we have had over the last four years is we've had bad performances and we've responded and come back.

"Sometimes these things happen and although you can't accept them you have to find the reasons why and we will do that.

"A lot of individuals didn't perform and let themselves down and it will be made known to them that this season, we will not accept performances like that."

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Reiziger, Ehiogu, Southgate, Queudrue (Pogatetz 45), Morrison (Mendieta 45), Parlour, Boateng, Downing, Viduka, Yakubu, Mendieta (Maccarone 58).

CHARLTON: Andersen, Young, Perry, Hreidarsson, Powell, Rommedahl, Murphy, Kishishev, Smertin (Hughes 83), Thomas (Bartlett 78), Bent.

Referee: M Dean (Wirral).