Ugo Ehiogu gave England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson a late squad reminder with his first goal of the season as Middlesbrough moved to within a point of second-placed Liverpool.

Centre back Ehiogu is eager to force his way back into Eriksson's plans after missing out on the World Cup.

And he staked a last ditch claim for inclusion in the party for the Euro 2004 qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia.

Boro stretched their winning run in all competitions to four games with a victory which also maintained their unbeaten record at the Riverside this season.

Ehiogu opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when he met Geremi's left-wing corner to power in a header which keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen could only help onto the underside of the bar as it flew in.

The outstanding Geremi was rewarded for a highly influential performance with his second Boro goal since his arrival on loan from Real Madrid.

But there was a strong suspicion of offside as he picked up fellow Cameroon star Joseph Job's through ball before placing his shot past Jaaskelainen.