Middlesbrough brought Everton's unbeaten start to the season to an end as strikers Yakubu and Mark Viduka rediscovered their touch in front of goal.

Yakubu converted a 26th-minute penalty and, after he had seen a second spot-kick saved by Tim Howard after 65 minutes, Viduka slotted home what proved to be the winner six minutes later.

The Nigerian and midfielder Lee Cattermole both wasted glorious opportunities to put the game out of sight, and Tim Cahill ensured a tense finish with a well-taken 77th-minute strike.

However, the Teessiders managed to hang on in front of a crowd of 27,156 to claim just their second win of the season.

Everton arrived unbeaten in eight games in all competitions so far this season to meet a side which badly needed a win.

However, for 15 minutes or so, the omens were not good as Andrew Johnson and Cahill, prompted by the excellent Mikel Arteta, threatened to rip Boro apart.

Robert Huth, belatedly making his Premiership debut for the club following his £6million move from Chelsea, and Emanuel Pogatetz found themselves repeatedly stretched in the absence of the injured Jonathan Woodgate.

And with England winger Stewart Downing struggling to get involved early on, the visitors were comfortable at the back.

Huth had to hack away a 12th-minute Arteta cross after he had left Andrew Davies for dead on the left and then Simon Davies blasted a long-range volley wide.

Yakubu was denied a 14th-minute penalty after going down under Joseph Yobo's challenge, but referee Mark Halsey had no hesitation in pointing to the spot 12 minutes later.

Jason Euell charged down Phil Neville's attempted clearance and the ball ran into the path of the Nigerian, who was unceremoniously dumped to the turf by Howard as he came from his line.

Yakubu stepped up to send Howard the wrong way to claim his third goal of the season and his second in as many games.

Viduka might have made it 2-0 within three minutes after Nuno Valente completed a catalogue of errors in the visitors' defence by serving the ball up to the Australian, but Tony Hibbert got in a foot before he could pull the trigger with the goal at his mercy.

Hibbert's departure through injury minutes later saw Neville asked to slot in at right-back, and he was left in Yakubu's wake nine minutes before the break as the striker raced on to Downing's ball over the top only to blast his shot high over.

Downing took Neville apart after 42 minutes to allow Viduka to set up Euell, but his placed shot was hacked away by Nuno Valente.

Johnson returned in lively mood, although his efforts were too often left to count for nothing by poor supply from the men around him.

His claims for a penalty went unanswered after 57 minutes went he went to ground under Pogatetz's challenge, and Joseph Yobo headed just over from an
Arteta corner seconds later.

But as they searched for an equaliser, the visitors were looking vulnerable at the back and central defenders Joleon Lescott and Yobo had to make vital interceptions to deny Euell and then Yakubu.

The game should have been over after 65 minutes when Boro were awarded a second penalty when Lescott was penalised for handball, but Howard dived low to his right to keep out Yakubu's effort.

Cattermole, playing wide on the right, blazed wide with just Howard to beat three minutes later, but Viduka was not so wasteful when Euell's flick left him with the simplest of tasks to make it 2-0 on 71 minutes.

However, Cahill's jinking run and emphatic finish made for a nail-biting final 13 minutes as the visitors pushed for an equaliser.

Howard had to beat away a left-footed effort from Cattermole, but most of the action was at the other end and Lee Carsley saw a drive deflected wide with two minutes remaining.