Middlesbrough seal vital win

Middlesbrough 1 Everton 0

Middlesbrough shrugged off their dismal early-season form to record their first victory of the campaign with a convincing display against Everton.

Joseph-Desire Job’s early strike was enough for Steve McClaren’s side – and there should have been clear daylight between the sides, but an assistant referee failed to spot Frank Queudrue’s header bouncing clearly over the goal-line.

As for Everton, they and in particular Wayne Rooney endured an afternoon of frustration with the England youngster often appearing to be teetering on the edge.

Middlesbrough paid him such close attention that he rarely had space in which to flourish, and when he did get a clear opportunity, he produce a footballing equivalent of a golf air-shot.

Newcastle and Wolves now remain the only winless sides in the Barclaycard Premiership, and Boro appeared in control throughout with Queudrue returning after a five-game ban to put in a man-of the-match performance.

Even with Gaizka Mendieta injured, the Middlesbrough midfield ran the show with Boudewijn Zenden constantly impressive. Had it not been for Everton’s stalwart centre-backs Alan Stubbs and Joseph Yobo, the gap would have been even greater.

Boro defended their slender leader from the sixth minute, when the home side put together a splendid move which spanned the length of the field before Job slid the ball home.

The Cameroon forward had begun the move after picking up possession from an Everton corner, but it was George Boateng’s pass which split open the visitors’ defence and when Christie crossed, Job nipped in front of Joseph Yobo to tuck the ball past Nigel Martyn.

It was a move that any side would have been proud of, and Boro kept up the pressure, Queudrue heading over Zenden’s corner then Danny Mills firing straight at Martyn.

Rooney was getting annoyed at being fettered and when Doriva stole the ball from him he scythed down the Brazilian. It was a reckless challenge and he could have little cause for complaint when referee Alan Wiley produced the yellow card.

Everton finally mounted a challenge with Yobo and Stubbs both having shots blocked in a goalmouth scramble before Rooney headed tamely at Mark Schwarzer.

The Blues stepped up their determination, contesting the midfield fiercely, but Middlesbrough continued to have more penetration and Job placed a good header over Martyn, but onto the roof of the net.

Christie showed some impressive skill to skip away from Stubbs, but his cross was a yard to far in front of Zenden, before controversy surrounded Queudrue’s header six minutes before the break.

The French full-back met Zenden’s corner and the ball thumped against the underside of the bar, bounced down behind Martyn – and clearly over the line to both the naked eye and TV replays – but the assistant referee did not award the goal.

Queudrue then performed excellently at the other end to toe-poke away from Rooney just as the teenager was about to shoot, then the England star kicked thin air when Tomasz Radzinski had laid on a straightforward chance for him seconds before the half-time whistle.

Everton began the second half the brighter, but when Rooney did get the ball into the net two minutes after the break Lee Carsley was penalised for a foul in the build-up.

There was another indication of Rooney’s frustration when, after slicing a cross out of play, he kicked out at an advertising hoarding.

After a period of stalemate, Radzinski probed for an equaliser with a flicked header after Tony Hibbert’s deep cross from the right, but could only guide the ball two yards over the cross-bar.

Moyes sent Duncan Ferguson onto the touchline out to warm up and encourage even greater effort from his team-mates, but instead they contrived to miss an open goal. Hibbert’s crossing again caused problems and the ball ricocheted off Boateng to Carsley, but he could only slice wide from six yards with the net beckoning.

Ferguson came on for the last 20 minutes, with Rooney shifting to play behind the front two.

Rooney curled a direct free-kick too high, before his trickery did manage to create an opening for Carsley only for the midfielder to blast over.

Ferguson came close to a late equaliser with a terrific header from a corner only to see substitute Szilard Nemeth head off the line.