English FA Premiership/ Manchester City 0 Middlesbrough 1: Middlesbrough continued to parade their long-term oneupmanship over Manchester City yesterday afternoon, with Steve McClaren's team condemning the Blues to a fourth successive Premiership defeat, the continuation of a miserable sequence that has seen them knocked out of the FA Cup.

"I was disgusted with their performance," said Stuart Pearce. "I feel bitterly disappointed for the fans." He lambasted his players, with the exception of David James, for not displaying any moral courage or leadership. "I'm not in the excuse business and the players know how I feel," said the Manchester City manager, who acknowledged that this was the worst performance since he took over. The City fans' boos confirmed it, if such was necessary.

It might have been more abject had the finishing of Middlesbrough's youngsters been a little steadier, and James considerably less alert. Lee Cattermole had put Middlesbrough ahead in the first half and they continued to create numerous chances without being able to increase their lead.

The City manager still had Europe on his mind before yesterday, although it now looks an increasingly forlorn hope. And to put it bluntly, as City fans know well enough and Pearce acknowledged, they are not good enough. "We would embarrass ourselves playing like that in Europe," said Pearce.

The FA Cup had been their one chance and that went horribly wrong in the home match against Wigan, just before the quarter-final replay against West Ham United, when Georgios Samaras, coming on as a substitute, was injured. As he hobbled off so City's hopes disappeared with him.

In hindsight it was a substitution that Pearce, for all yesterday's anger, must regret acutely, one of those management decisions that he will have learned from but at a heavy price. Samaras had no need to play against Wigan but the City manager believed a victory against their neighbours was necessary, and so was caught between the devil and the pale blue sea.

The return of Samaras brought a little initial cheer although it quickly dissipated. Darius Vassell, who still harbours hopes of getting into England's World Cup squad, was the most threatening of the City forwards and might have scored if George Boateng, tracking back at pace, had not been aware of the danger.

And so it was, as the Blues huffed and puffed to no great effect, that Stewart Downing blew their house down. Breaking clear on the left Downing curved an exquisite cross into the area and Cattermole, timing his run to perfection, drifted across Micah Richards who was playing in central defence in place of the suspended Sylvain Distin. It was an elementary mistake by the 17-year-old Richards, born out of inexperience. That said it was an excellent header by Cattermole, himself just 18 years old, who made harder work of an easier double chance early in the second half.

Richard Dunne appeared to grab hold of Yakubu Aiyegbeni as he was about to speed in on goal after half-time while James stood as firm as a rock on other occasions while all else about him collapsed. Pearce rang the changes but all was rushed and lacking in quality and desire. And, as he said afterwards, he will not stand for that.

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