IT was billed as a managerial battle between the master and his apprentice, but in the end it turned out to be a homage to one of the greatest bosses English football has ever seen.

Sitting in the Old Trafford directors’ box, celebrating his 75th birthday, Sir Alex Ferguson must have felt like he was watching one of those repeats that always seems to be aired over the Christmas period. The former Manchester United boss has seen this countless times before – and often against Middlesbrough.

This was January 2000 again, when David Beckham struck three minutes from time to break the resistance of a ten-man Boro team. It was also reminiscent of November 2000, when Nicky Butt and Teddy Sheringham scored two goals in the space of three minutes to overturn Boro’s one-goal lead. And for slightly younger Boro fans, there were echoes of October 2004, when the Teessiders led for almost 50 minutes at Old Trafford before Alan Smith claimed a dramatic Manchester United equaliser.

Three-and-a-half years on from his retirement, this was ‘Fergie time’ revisited, and while it might have been Jose Mourinho wheeling away in celebration on the touchline rather than his much-garlanded predecessor, the heartbreak in the visitors’ dressing room would have felt exactly the same. Clearly, the days of Mourinho dishing out favours to Aitor Karanka are at an end.

Yet just as Karanka can take pride from standing alongside his managerial mentor as an equal, so Boro’s players can extract satisfaction from another impressive away performance against one of the Premier League’s ‘big boys’.

Manchester United might be at a formative stage of their redevelopment, but with Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Paul Pogba dominating games in a manner that befits their world-class status, and Anthony Martial and Henrikh Mkhitaryan evoking memories of some of Ferguson’s best sides with their dazzling wing play, something is definitely stirring at Old Trafford.

Yet for long periods of their final game of a landmark 2016, Boro more than matched their illustrious opponents. As skipper Grant Leadbitter was right to highlight after the game, praise means little when it is not accompanied by points, but for all that the Teessiders have now lost four of their last five matches, it would be unfair to be too critical of their latest display.

Defensively, they were resolute throughout despite Manchester United’s wealth of attacking talent, with Bernardo Espinosa producing a hugely impressive display on his first appearance in English football and Ben Gibson maintaining the sky-high standards he has been setting this season.

Unlike in some of their more recent games, Boro also carried a considerable attacking threat, and while they might only have recorded two efforts on target, their counter-attacking capabilities meant the game was always in the balance, even before Leadbitter broke the deadlock with a clinical strike midway through the second half.

The defeat means Boro head into their opening game of 2017 against Leicester today with just a four-point gap to the relegation places, but whereas Swansea, Hull and Sunderland increasingly look doomed, Karanka’s side continue to appear capable of hauling themselves away from trouble. Play as they did at the weekend in the majority of their remaining matches, and they should certainly be okay.

“I don’t like to lose, but apart from the result, I told the players the performance was very good,” said Karanka, who has inquired about former Barcelona duo Gerard Deulofeu and Bojan Krkic as he looks to remodel his squad now the transfer window has reopened. “We’ve competed against a top team, and were winning until the last five minutes.

“Competing the way we did, we will win games against teams playing to stay in the Premier League. Once again we showed we are a consistent team, and we had chances to score.

“Imagine, you are playing Man United, and you are finishing the game against a team playing Pogba, Ibrahimovich, Mkhitaryan, (Juan) Mata, (Marcus) Rashford and Martial. They needed those players to beat you, so we are doing something good.”

With Karanka having made five changes for Saturday’s game, no doubt mindful of the importance of today’s meeting with the reigning champions, the most impressive aspect of Boro’s display was the performance of some of the players who have been peripheral figures at best in the first half of the season.

Bernardo had not been glimpsed following a summer move from Sporting Gijon, but while there had been talk of a potential January return to La Liga for the Colombian, this was a display that suggests he is more than capable of covering for Gibson and Calum Chambers. If nothing else, he has certainly cemented his place ahead of the out-of-favour Daniel Ayala in the defensive pecking order.

Stewart Downing produced a typically industrious and efficient performance on the left-hand side, but the real revelation was Leadbitter, who was Boro’s best player by a distance as he finally got an opportunity to return to the Premier League stage after an absence of more than seven-and-a-half years.

Playing in an advanced midfield position alongside Adam Forshaw, Leadbitter was a bundle of energy throughout, closing down opponents, tackling adeptly and retaining possession efficiently when the ball was at his feet.

His goal was an excellent one, with Alvaro Negredo cushioning a header into his path before he drilled a clinical first-time finish across David de Gea, and while Karanka has constantly praised his captain’s attitude following hernia surgery in the summer, the Spaniard was finally able to talk up Leadbitter’s talents with equal gusto.

“It’s good to have him back,” he said. “I know his character. He is a winner, and he always wants to play. He was waiting for his chance, and his attitude has been amazing. He played really well, and he scored an important goal. He’s a really important player for us.”

If there was a criticism of Boro’s performance, it related to Adama Traore’s decision-making, which still leaves a lot to be desired when posited against his obvious talent. Had Traore passed instead of shooting when he broke clear in the third minute, Boro might have been ahead long before Leadbitter broke the deadlock.

As it was, they were able to claim the lead largely thanks to referee Lee Mason’s nonsensical decision to rule out a first-half effort from Ibrahmovich for a high foot.

With Manchester United also having hit the woodwork through Pogba and Martial, there was an element of fortune to Boro’s lead, and while they held on until the 85th minute, it did not last.

The hosts levelled when Martial slotted home after Ibrahimovich nodded a long ball into his path, and within 90 seconds, the tables were turned completely as Pogba converted Mata’s right-wing cross.

“I cannot take a great deal of pleasure, because my brother is in the other dressing room feeling sad,” said Mourinho. “He has built a very good, very well-organised team.”