JUNINHO buzzed around the Riverside pitch with the urgency of a man who had a point to prove.

He took throw-ins, he gave away a couple of free-kicks with fouls on Thomas Gravesen - who looks like he should be the Brazilian's minder, not victim.

He hauled Tomasz Radzinski to his feet when Middlesbrough and their fans were accusing Everton of wasting time in the dying stages. Oh, and he scored a goal, too.

Welcome back to the Premiership, Juninho. How did Middlesbrough ever cope without you?

True, the Brazilian's arrival on Saturday hardly transformed Boro from the mundane to the magical. Steve McClaren admitted the jewel in his crown still looked "rusty", and to be honest Middlesbrough could not have been as anaemic after half-time.

But after a dire first 45 minutes when everyone at the Riverside except Everton seemed to be marking time, waiting for Juninho to appear, the fit-again midfielder brought Boro to life.

The boy from Brazil revolutionised Middlesbrough's image when he first landed on Teesside in 1995, and his performances met the lofty expectations.

His Second Coming was greeted with similarly wild enthusiasm, but a badly-broken ankle had taken the edge off his game.

Now, McClaren believes Juninho's third spell at the Riverside will see him recapture the form that enchanted Boro fans in the mid-1990s. McClaren said: "As long as Juninho's fit and playing well, and the team are in form, why can't he have the same impact this time?

"He's bound not to be fully fit or sharp yet, but there was enough evidence in this game that he'll be a big asset. And he can only get better.

"We know what effect Juninho has on the place. We saw nearly 20,000 people turn up for a reserve game in which he played.

"It was good to have him on the bench at a time when we needed him to inspire the team and the crowd.

"Everybody got a lift when he came on and we gave a much-improved second-half performance. He was the inspiration.

"He takes responsibility, and that's what we need from people like him and Gareth Southgate.

"This game was difficult for him, but he affected the game because he made Everton change their shape.

"They man-marked him with Scot Gemmill, but that gave other players a bit more space.

"Juninho had one or two good touches and he'll benefit from 45 minutes. In certain aspects he looked rusty, but that's to be expected."

Everton manager David Moyes claimed his team had contained Juninho well, and certainly the World Cup winner did not quite live up to his big build-up.

"The crowd got a massive lift when Juninho came on, but I thought we did a great job in containing him," Moyes said.

Steve Watson, Everton's goalscorer in a first half when they were allowed to coast by Middlesbrough, also played down the Juninho effect.

"Richard Wright didn't have a save to make in the second half," Watson said, before adding: "But it was inevitable that Juninho would produce something."

It was nigh-on impossible to believe on Saturday that less than a year had passed since Everton's last visit to the Riverside.

Then, the Blues imploded in an FA Cup sixth round tie that brought Walter Smith's Goodison reign to an ignominious close. Fast-forward just shy of 12 months, and Moyes's vibrant outfit are eyeing an improbable Champions League place while Middlesbrough are in 13th place.

McClaren wants Boro to copy Everton's example next season after seeing his side extend their unbeaten run to three games.

"I'd like to think we can do next season what Everton are doing now," the Middlesbrough manager said.

"Consistency is the name of the game. We've played some fantastic football this season at home. But we haven't been consistent enough away from home. We need to rectify that before we think about progressing and moving up the table.

"But we've had good results at Liverpool and Sunderland, and this was a good result against a team now in the top four. We've got to take heart from that."

Moyes blamed Gravesen for a moment of "complete madness" that cost Everton two points.

The midfielder dived into a challenge on Jonathan Greening 30 yards from the Middlesbrough goal, and that permitted George Boateng to advance to the edge of the Everton penalty area unhindered. Boateng and Michael Ricketts combined to release Massimo Maccarone down the Boro right, and his low cross was stabbed home from close range in the 74th minute.

That goal hauled Middlesbrough back on level terms after Watson had struck after 23 minutes, turning the ball into the net after Radzinski had capitalised on a Chris Riggott mistake.

Wayne Rooney almost won Everton the game in second-half stoppage time, but a superb tackle by Southgate denied him a clear shot.

Result: Middlesbrough 1 Everton 1.

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