Middlesbrough stun hapless City in 'nothing' game

5:14pm Sunday 11th May 2008

Middlesbrough 8 Manchester City 1

APPARENTLY the Riverside was not the place to be yesterday.

Nothing riding on the result, two teams with little to play for and the likelihood of a drab encounter.

But by 4.55pm Boro fans were trying to remember the last time their side had scored eight in a game of any sort let alone a top-flight encounter.

A hat-trick from Afonso Alves, a brace for Stewart Downing and goals from Fabio Rochemback, Jeremie Aliadiere and Adam Johnson gave Boro their biggest win at the highest level since September 1950 against Huddersfield Town.

The game was over as an encounter after Richard Dunne was red-carded for a professional foul on Tuncay Sanli and Stewart Downing buried the resulting 16th minute penalty.

Manchester City had little fight at that stage and by the end - Elano's 84th minute consolation aside - many of the players didn't deserve to be sporting the famous sky blue shirts.

The away fans, who had been singing the praises of departing manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, up to that point turned ugly with an unseemly stand off with police at the final whistle.

Their anger may have been better directed toward many of their own players.

Anger was not something seemingly on the agenda yesterday with City's priority to avoid a rash of yellow or red cards with their UEFA Cup spot dependent on their disciplinary record.

Boro had no such concerns which was just as well with Rochemback launching an agricultural challenge on Benjani in only the fifth minute - the referee missing the incident which resulted in the Zimbabwe striker being substituted soon after.

At the other end George Boateng - in what could be his last game for the Teessiders - had the chance to open the scoring only to see his effort from ten yards deflected for a corner.

The resulting set piece from Rochemback gave Julio Arca the chance to pick his spot from the edge of the area only to direct his effort just wide of Andreas Isaksson's post.

Fortunately all chances for a typical drab end of season encounter ended when Dunne was sent off and Boro were awarded a penalty in the 15th minute.

Tuncay was sent clear of the City central defender by a great long pass from Chris Riggott before he appeared to be clipped by Dunne - the Turkey international ensuring his tumble was inside the box. Referee Phil Dowd decided penalty and so it was an inevitable red card for the defender.

Downing stepped up and drilled his effort low to the keeper's left and into the corner.

City's response was encouraging but their priority remained card limitation.

Martin Petrov fired a free-kick wide, Darius Vassell's miscued an overhead eight yards out and Mark Schwarzer saved from Gelson Fernandes.

But when Boro poured forward there appeared little City could do with Vedran Corluka - now at centre-back in place of Dunne - seriously lacking pace.

The main threat was Tuncay and he should have made it two in the half hour from the also impressive Rochemback's corner only for Isaksson to save his effort with his backside.

Shortly after Tuncay helped create the second for Alves. He played a short ball to Rochemback who all too easily made his way into the box before squaring for the Brazilian to slot home with his left foot from 12 yards - his fourth for Boro in only his ninth start.

It should have been even better just before half-time only for an unmarked Boateng to be denied by a sprawling Isaksson from eight yards - the ball agonisingly bouncing just over the bar.

Any thoughts that City were prepared to merely go through the motions in the second period received a degree of confirmation within eight minutes of the restart as substitute Nery Castillo made a great run into the box only to turn by the byline and discover his nearest team-mate was 20 yards behind him.

Boro were keen to add to their goals scored tally - one of the worst in the Premier League before yesterday - and their find of the season, David Wheater, forced Isaksson into a point blank save in the 55th minute.

Three minutes later and his team-mate Downing showed him just how to do it with an exquisite volley. Boateng's cross from the right was half cleared and as the ball fell to Downing inside the box he picked his spot with a first time effort that gave Isaksson no chance.

City had just about thrown in the towel by this point and Alves matched Downing's brace on the hour - racing clear of a weary Blues defence before lifting the ball over Isaksson.

No stopping Boro now and substitute Adam Johnson set up Downing - looking for his first hat-trick in senior football - only for Isaksson to tip over his effort from the edge of the area.

Johnson decided there was no point in passing with City having apparently given up and he made in five in the 70th minute - his effort taking a huge deflection to leave Isaksson with no chance.

The best goal came from a Rochemback free-kick - ironic seeing as he spent three seasons hitting nearly everything but the target - with Brazilian curling a 25-yard effort beyond Isakkson into the top left hand corner.

Number seven was from Aliadiere who was allowed too much space to pick his spot in the area and before Boro could grab their eighth, City went up the other end and di what they didn't look like remotely doing for 42 minutes of the second period.

Substitute Elano cut in from the right before curling a fine left foot effort beyond Mark Schwarzer robbing the Aussie of a clean sheet on what could have been his last game for Boro - along with several of his team-mates.

Afonso had time for his hat-trick, again calmly slotting home after the defence left him unmarked in the box.

That was the 90th minute and, as if to prevent further punishment referee, Dowd blew for full-time almost on the dot.

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