FA Premiership/ Middlesbrough 3 Sheffield Utd 1: Mark Viduka reminded everyone why rival managers are likely to be dialling Gareth Southgate's number during the coming days by scoring one goal and creating another for the almost equally impressive Yakubu Aiyegbeni.
Viduka's performance in Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Blackburn had been so disappointing he was variously rewarded three and four out of 10 in newspaper reports. Here, though, the mercurial Australian proved way too good for Claude Davis.
Southgate reflected: "Dukes (Viduka) makes a massive difference to us when he plays like this, his hold-up play is terrific. He's a class act, he's got as much ability as any striker I've played with." Nevertheless, with just six months remaining on his contract, Viduka has yet to be offered a new deal.
Booed off at half-time with the score 1-1, Boro raised their game in the second period. At the interval Sheffield United must have been optimistic, Paul Gerrard having not been forced into making a single important save. Making his first Premiership appearance in four years in place of the injured Paddy Kenny, he was, however, beaten by Viduka. Receiving a pass from Julio Arca, Viduka turned Rob Kozluk and conjured some shooting space by switching the ball from right to left foot before powering it past Gerrard.
Shortly after Keith Gillespie had forced Mark Schwarzer into a decent save to divert his free-kick, United equalised. It came from the penalty spot, Chris Foy having spotted Emanuel Pogatetz's push on Rob Hulse as the pair leapt for a high ball.
Fresh from his Saturday's heroics in goal after Kenny was forced off during the undoing of Arsenal, Phil Jagielka emphasised his renaissance man credentials by dispatching a decisive penalty, low into the bottom corner. If its award had seemed slightly soft, things were evened out when Foy decided not to penalise Pogatetz for a more blatant penalty area foul on Hulse.
Warnock's side - who must have taken heart when Jonathan Woodgate limped off midway through the opening period - might have been ahead at the break had Arca not cleared Chris Morgan's header off the line. Instead they fell behind again when Viduka ran on to George Boateng's pass and shrugged Davis aside before unleashing a cross-shot which was turned in at the far post by Aiyegbeni. The Nigerian swiftly scored a second from the penalty spot, dinking his kick beyond Gerrard.
- Guardian Service
MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Xavier, Woodgate (Parnaby 33), Pogatetz, Taylor, Cattermole, Boateng, Arca (Morrison 86), Downing, Yakubu, Viduka. Subs not used: Jones, Christie, Euell. Booked: Cattermole, Xavier.
SHEFFIELD UTD: Gerrard, Kozluk, Morgan, Davis, Armstrong, Gillespie (Kazim-Richards 78), Jagielka, Tonge, Stephen Quinn (Alan Quinn 78), Hulse, Webber (Nade 59). Subs not used: Montgomery, Geary. Booked: Hulse.
Referee: C Foy(Merseyside).
