Steve McClaren faced the wrath of Middlesbrough fans as Aston Villa's young striker Luke Moore led a rampage at the Riverside.
Moore, still 10 days short of his 20th birthday, scored a classy hat-trick to heap the pressure on the Middlesbrough manager.
McClaren had to endure calls for his head from a section of home supporters - one fan even invading the pitch and hurling his season ticket into the Boro dug- out. The 4-0 scoreline - Kevin Phillips also contributed - in no way flattered the visitors, who dominated from beginning to end.
Moore's 19-year-old legs in particular gave the 35-year-old limbs of Gareth Southgate the runaround on the Boro skipper's 500th league appearance.
But Moore, also Villa's hero in midweek with the equaliser against Chelsea, was only in David O'Leary's starting line-up due to an injury to Milan Baros.
He was impressive from the start, his pace catching Southgate flat-footed and the Boro skipper was fortunate not to be cautioned for felling him.
Phillips hooked a looping shot over the bar then the striker was involved again flicking on Jlloyd Samuel's cross but Emmanuel Pogatetz cleared from underneath his own crossbar with Moore waiting to pounce.
Middlesbrough forced what turned out to be their chance of the game when Lee Cattermole's accurate ball found Mark Viduka unmarked in the penalty area but the Australian was unable to guide his header on target.
Villa's pressure told in the 18th minute when Phillips, with his back to goal, neatly clipped Samuel's cross into Moore's path and he finished coolly with his left foot low into the opposite corner.
Things went from bad to worse for McClaren when Phillips doubled Villa's advantage in the 24th minute, darting past Pogatetz to meet James Milner's cross before placing a deft back-header past Mark Schwarzer.
There was a glimpse of an opening for Boro after Stuart Parnaby was brought down by Barry well within striking range but Sorensen was never troubled by Stewart Downing's curling free-kick.
Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had been virtually anonymous in the first half and at the break McClaren changed both strikers, bringing on Yakubu and Massimo Maccarone, though with little effect.
Villa still looked the stronger and Phillips somehow missed a chance to make the points certain from three yards after Davis' free-kick came off the top of Southgate's head. Somehow, Phillips contrived to steer the ball wide of the post.
In the 62nd minute Moore wrapped up the game with his second of the match. Davis did much of the groundwork before setting up Barry for a first-time cross and though Pogatetz got his body in the way of Moore's first effort the 19-year-old reacted quickest to drive the ball home.
Two minutes later and Moore's rout was complete when he seized finished Davis’s through-ball to complete his hat-trick.
Despite more than 25 minutes remaining on the clock, the Boro fans began to stream out, amid a number of calls for McClaren’s dismissal.
The referee then had to halt the game as the fan staged his protest before being seized by stewards. "Souness for Boro" chanted the Villa fans.
Moore was still hunting for more glory and Schwarzer had to be quick off his line to thwart the Villa striker.
All that was left was for Moore to depart proceedings eight minutes early, replaced by Juan Pablo Angel, and even the Middlesbrough supporters applauded.
