Resurgent Boro blunt Blades

Middlesbrough 3 Sheffield United 1

Viduka remains the subject of constant transfer speculation with his existing contract due to end in the summer and serious talks yet to start between the club and the player.

But Southgate insisted he did not want Viduka to go anywhere after watching him sweep Boro into a first half lead then do all the work for the second goal, which was bundled home by Aiyegbeni Yakubu.

Southgate said: “I think he has got as much ability as any striker I played with. He has made a massive difference to us since he came back into the side.

“There is a misconception about him that people have because of the way he runs and the way he moves, but not everybody can tear around the field for 90 minutes and those who do possibly aren’t as effective.”

Southgate admitted he was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief after his side bounced back from their dismal defeat at Blackburn to see off one of their relegation rivals.

He added: “There is definitely no hiding from it — the two home games we have had were must-win games for us and the lads responded brilliantly to that pressure.

“To put in the performance they did on the back of playing two days ago and being disappointed, I think they might have surprised themselves and they fully deserved their win.

“To suffer that disappointment right on half-time could have seen them go under but they didn’t, they hung in there, managed to regroup and their response in the second half was terrific.”

Blades boss Neil Warnock refused to be too downcast with his team’s performance, insisting Boro’s multimillion-pound strike force was the only difference between the teams.

Warnock said: “I thought their £11million (16m) or £12m (18m) strikers were the difference the whole game, and I think if we had had them in our side we would have won.”

Phil Jagielka had equalised for the Blades with a late first half penalty before Yakubu scored twice after the interval to settle the issue, the second coming from the penalty spot.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Xavier, Woodgate (Parnaby 33), Pogatetz, Taylor, Cattermole, Boateng, Arca (Morrison 86), Downing, Yakubu, Viduka.

SHEFF UTD: Gerrard, Kozluk, Morgan, Davis, Armstrong, Gillespie (Kazim-Richards 78), Jagielka, Tonge, Stephen Quinn (Alan Quinn 78), Hulse, Webber (Nade 59).

Ref: C Foy (Merseyside).