Boro jinx returns to haunt United

Middlesbrough 3 Manchester United 1

Goals from Alen Boksic and Szilard Nemeth either side of half-time gave Boro the advantage, and although Ryan Giggs pulled one back on the hour, Joseph-Desire Job made sure of the points five minutes from time to condemn United to a second successive Premiership defeat.

It was the third time McClaren has turned the tables on former boss Alex Ferguson since leaving Old Trafford for the north-east two summers ago, and preserved an unbeaten home run of 11 matches this season.

But even more importantly for Boro, the game saw their under-pressure strikers finally return to the goal trail as Boksic collected only his second of the season with Nemeth and Job also scoring.

Roy Keane’s return to the starting line-up for the first time since August 31 was the talk of the Riverside Stadium as the home fans pondered on just how their central midfield duo of former United men Jonathan Greening and Mark Wilson, in for the injured George Boateng, would cope with the threat of Keane and partner Veron.

United played some neat passing football without really threatening to get behind a Boro rearguard superbly marshalled by skipper Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu, while the home side always posed a threat on the break, but crucially, not in the right areas.

But as Keane started to find his feet once again and Giggs and John O’Shea got the bit between their teeth down the left, the signs started to grow increasingly ominous.

However, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Paul Scholes never saw enough of the ball to cause the alarm bells to ring and it was full-back O’Shea who reminded Mark Schwarzer he might have to earn his wages when he unleashed a powerful right-foot effort which Schwarzer did well to palm away.

The United defence was caught a minute before the break when full-back Franck Queudrue was allowed to charge from deep inside his own half before slipping a pass through a static rearguard for Boksic to chip delicately over the Frenchman.

But if the opening 45 minutes had produced little goalmouth action, the stakes were raised after the break.

It took Boro just three minutes to increase their lead, Nemeth pouncing on indecision in the United back four to hold off O’Shea and thump a close-range shot past Barthez to send the home crowd into raptures.

However, the resilience which has served United so well over the years came to the fore on the hour when Giggs timed his run to perfection to meet Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s cross in front of goal and flick the ball past Schwarzer to breathe new life into the contest.

As United started to turn the screw, Boro found themselves pinned back inside their own half, and their fears increased with 18 minutes remaining when Ferguson replaced full-back Neville with England skipper David Beckham.

Beckham saw a 77th-minute free-kick deflected wide and then watched another goal-bound effort clip a Boro defender and drop wide nine minutes from time after Giggs drove a corner to his right foot.

However, just as it looked as though Boro might crack under renewed United pressure, substitute Massimo Maccarone headed Geremi’s cross back across goal for Job to cement victory in fine style.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Queudrue, Ehiogu, Southgate, Parnaby, Greening, Wilson, Job, Geremi, Nemeth (Maccarone 83), Boksic (Wilkshire 63).

MAN UTD: Barthez, Gary Neville (Beckham 72), Blanc, Brown, O’Shea (Ferdinand 83), Giggs, Keane, Veron, Scholes, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer.

Referee: G Barber (Hertfordshire).