Middlesbrough 2 Fulham 1: Louis who? On a night when Louis Saha's role in an on-going tug of war between Fulham and Manchester United looked to have taken its toll on his performance, Stewart Downing seized the limelight.
Middlesbrough's 19-year-old left winger - recently back from a loan stint at Sunderland - not only created both home goals, but proved the game's most dynamic individual, eclipsing even Steed Malbranque, as Steve McClaren's men secured a much-needed win.
All the pre-match talk revolved around Saha and his reported "disgust" at Fulham's refusal to let him move north for pounds £8 million, but, undaunted by the French striker's reputation, Ugo Ehiogu sent him crashing with a hard first-minute challenge.
It earned the Middlesbrough defender a booking and left Saha looking more like the tentative player that Ruud Gullit once brought to Newcastle rather than the new Ruud van Nistelrooy.
In contrast, Ehiogu seemed a man inspired and his shot, after a corner sent over by Downing's exciting left foot, prompted Joseph-Desire Job's 15th-minute goal. When Edwin van der Sar could only parry Ehiogu's effort, the Cameroon forward was on hand to pass the ball into the net.
Amazingly - or perhaps not for regular watchers - it was only the second goal Middlesbrough have scored in the first half of a league match here this season.
Despite the virtual man-marking job that Sylvain Legwinski was performing on Juninho - not a very good one at that - Middlesbrough ensured Van Der Sar was far busier than Brad Jones, the young Australianmaking his Premiership debut.
Gareth Southgate is another reputed to be on Alex Ferguson's shopping list, and the Middlesbrough captain was his usual impeccable defensive self alongside Ehiogu. But he won't care to recall the free header he directed over Van der Sar's bar from just four yards out after another incisive first-half Downing delivery.
Boro must have been mightily relieved that Luis Boa Morte rather than Saha or the impressive Malbranque was presented with a straightforward scoring chance just after the interval.
Just as Jones looked stranded and McClaren's water bottle seemed poised to be hurled to the ground in disgust, Fulham's left winger miscued his shot.
Within minutes, Van Der Sar was also relieved when Franck Queudrue's header went wide after the left back connected with Downing's whipped-in free-kick. Then the youngster was unlucky to see his hooked volley fail to end up in the net.
Deservedly, it was Downing's in-swinging free-kick that led to Middlesbrough's second goal. When Van Der Sar dropped it, Southgate and Ehiogu combined to ensure the ball found its way to Szilard Nemeth whose shot sealed Middlesbrough's victory - a win that Barry Hayles' last-gasp strike was never going to spoil.
Guardian Service
MIDDLESBROUGH: Jones, Queudrue, Mills, Ehiogu, Southgate, Downing, Nemeth, Boateng, Zenden, Juninho Paulista, Job. Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Riggott, Maccarone, Doriva, Parnaby.Booked: Ehiogu. Goals: Job 15, Nemeth 67.
FULHAM: Van der Sar, Green, Djetou, Knight, Melville, Legwinski (Hayles 69), Sean Davis, Clark, Malbranque, Boa Morte, Saha. Subs Not Used: Crossley, Inamoto, Hudson, Petta. Booked: Sean Davis, Djetou. Goals: Hayles 90.
Referee: P Durkin (Dorset).
