FA Cup - Middlesborough 2 Manchester United 0: One down, two to go. If Alex Ferguson had harboured any hopes of bowing out with another treble in his final year of management they were dashed in the last five frantic minutes of another famous episode in this competition.

When Laurent Blanc ducked under the ball to allow Noel Whelan to steal in for the opening goal in the 85th minute, Ferguson must have already been saying his mental farewells to the tournament that provided him with his first English silverware 12 years ago.

Then after Andy Campbell clinched the tie with a minute to go, there was little option but to turn the mind to the next step in retaining the Premiership title tomorrow at Bolton and think about the February resumption of the Champions League at Nantes.

Defeat was not an outcome Manchester United, who had enjoyed much the greater possession, had imagined. "I just kept thinking I could do without a replay," their manager said, looking dejected. "The cup does that to you . You think you're in a decent position where you can't lose the game and yet we've lost."

Especially worrying to the manager was the recurrence of the defensive uncertainties that had plagued United's early season. Well as Whelan played, it is hard to imagine that Blanc in his prime would have had difficulty in handling him and the centre of the back four continues to be a problem.

That was of little concern to Whelan who has has managed four goals in seven games. "I'm making a name for the right reasons - that's what it's all about," said a player who is no stranger to the headlines, although in the past they have tended to be further towards the front of newspapers than is generally felt desirable for a top-class sportsman, drink-driving and kicking in a plate-glass window having helped fuel them.

So when he appeared outside the dressing room on Saturday afternoon sporting a glorious shiner it seemed there might be yet another unedifying tale of late-night revelry to tell. Not on this occasion - the injury was caused by a punch delivered by an over-exuberant fan after Middlesbrough's second goal. "He came over the barriers while we were celebrating," Whelan said. "All I saw was a big fat fist and that was it."

Now aged 27, Whelan is showing some overdue signs of maturity as he reaches his prime and his sizeable assist in the second goal only confirmed his man-of-the-match status. More is the pity, then, that the stadium was only half full to see it, the Teesside public proving resistant to paying £22 for Boro's cheapest tickets.

Those that did turn up must have feared that this was not going to be Boro's day. They were missing Boksic, Ugo Ehiogu, Paul Ince, Szilard Nemeth, Mark Schwarzer and Gianluca Festa and Manchester United obviously expected few problems in marching on to the fifth round, fielding an under-strength side lacking the injured David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron, as well as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs, who were on the bench.

"There was no pressure on us because people expected us to lose," Whelan said.

United dominated the first half but when Boro switched from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2, allowing their midfielders to push forward, they seemed at a loss to answer the new questions being posed. "It was a careless, scrappy performance from us and to give that game away was ridiculous," Ferguson said scathingly.

It left Steve McClaren delighted at having put one over his old boss. "It's a terrific result and as I keep saying to the players, more belief like that and we will be all right," he said, looking ahead to the visit to Sunderland in the league tomorrow. He straight-batted questions on the slow-moving transfer of Dwight Yorke, who made a brief appearance as substitute and was booed by the United fans. "A decision will be made sooner rather than later," McClaren said.

Meanwhile, the tragic news of the death of the two-year-old son of Middlesbrough's Colin Cooper was disclosed last night. Finlay Cooper choked on a small toy on Saturday tea-time.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Crossley, Southgate, Cooper, Queudrue, Stockdale, Greening, Mustoe, Johnston (Gavin 45), Marinelli (Wilson 45), Windass, Whelan, Wilson (Campbell 75). Subs Not Used: Beresford, Ricard. Booked: Stockdale, Cooper, Greening. Goals: Whelan 85, Campbell 89.

MANCHESTER UTD: Barthez, Gary Neville, Blanc, Phil Neville, Silvestre, Wallwork (Giggs 61), Keane, Butt, Chadwick (van Nistelrooy 61), Scholes, Solskjaer (Yorke 79). Subs Not Used: Carroll, O'Shea. Booked: Wallwork, Silvestre, Scholes.

Referee: M Halsey (Welwyn Garden City).