Middlesbrough 0 Everton 1:TIM CAHILL pounced at the third time of asking to send Everton on their way to their seventh Premier League away win of the season and pile more woe upon Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate.
Cahill needed three attempts to force home the scrappiest of winners in the 50th minute but it was a well-deserved victory for David Moyes's men against a Boro side facing a bleak new year.
The home side have now not won at the Riverside Stadium for almost two months and the displeasure was clear with a chorus of boos accompanying Southgate up the tunnel at the final whistle.
Despite Gary O'Neil bringing a fine save out of Tim Howard and a strong second-half penalty appeals involving substitute Adam Johnson, the visitors were always in control and should have had a second goal through debutant Dan Gosling.
This despite Moyes being forced to once again start a game without a recognised striker and the absence of both Leon Osman and Joseph Yobo increasing their already lengthy injury list.
Gosling looked bright as the visitors dominated the opening exchanges, with Steven Pienaar seeing a 10th-minute effort ruled out for a foul in the box by Joleon Lescott. Boro had the first shot on target when Tuncay hit a low 14th-minute shot straight at Howard.
Julio Arca's awful back-header almost gifted the visitors a 27th-minute lead as Cahill raced to pick up the loose ball and set up Pienaar who blazed a rising shot against the top of Turnbull's right-hand post.
Then another mistake by Arca allowed Phil Neville to launch a rare run on goal that ended with a low, long-range effort which flashed inches wide of the diving Turnbull's right-hand post.
Boro went even closer in the 33rd minute when Downing's cross from the right fell to O'Neil on the edge of the box and his driven right-footed shot was superbly turned around the post by Howard.
Cahill broke the deadlock in the 50th minute with a goal befitting such a scrappy tie, poking home at the third attempt from a move started by Mikel Arteta's right-wing corner.
Things should have become worse for the home side after 57 minutes when Fellaini's cross from the right found Gosling unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box but the youngster blazed high and wide of target.
Boro toiled in their bid to get back into the match with the visitors coping well with what little threat they could muster and frequently offering more danger on the counter-attack.
And it was left to Alves to wrap up another woeful afternoon for the home side when he chipped a clear chance over the bar in the 88th minute after being played into the box by Mido.
Moyes singled out former Plymouth striker and 18-year-old debutant Gosling for special praise as his injury-ravaged side secured their seventh away win.
Moyes said: "Dan was terrific and on another day he might have got himself a couple of goals. It is a big step coming into a Premier League side pushing for Europe so he deserves a pat on the back."
Moyes was also full of praise for the "mucking-in" mentality of his squad as they made light of another week without a recognised centre forward, with Cahill and Marouane Fellaini leading the line well.
Moyes added: "The boys are doing unbelievably with no strikers and with Tim and Fellaini working together sometimes up front and sometimes in the middle. If we get Victor (Anichebe) and Louis (Saha) back that'll be a start and if we get a couple of additions that will give ourselves a powerful strong squad for the rest of the season."
Beleaguered Boro boss Southgate admitted his side looked woefully short on confidence but said he would not shy away from the challenge ahead. "I only know one way of working in my life and in my seven years here and that is to take on every challenge and that's the kind of determination we need. There's no easy way out.
"The focus will come on us now and we'll have a lot to deal with over the next few weeks but I've got to make sure that I take that pressure from the players and I'm more than prepared to do that."
