The Riverside Stadium has witnessed many a glorious cup night in its eight-year existence but last night wasn't one of them as Middlesbrough stuttered their way into the third round of the Carling Cup.

Boro, League Cup runners-up twice in the last six years, were far from convincing despite dominating and only a moment of magic in extra-time from substitute Malcolm Christie settled this disappointing second-round tie.

It was almost a decade ago that Brighton, currently second in the Second Division, left Ayresome Park on the end of a Craig Hignett-inspired 5-0 League Cup thrashing.

Hignett grabbed four of Boro's goals that night in 1993 and how his scoring touch would have been welcomed last night as Steve McClaren's men endured a miserable evening in front of goal, with Christie's 95th-minute winner one of the few plus points in a timid Boro display.

With a slight hint of offside, striker Michael Ricketts was sent clean through on goal when he latched on to Szilard Nemeth's threaded through ball but fired straight at keeper Michel Kuipers' legs.

At the other end, Richard Carpenter sent a snap shot over the bar before seeing another effort moments later blocked by Boro skipper Gareth Southgate.

After doing well to retrieve the ball, French full-back Franck Queudrue's clearance fell only as far as Gary Hart but after evading a couple of challenges, he fired tamely wide of Mark Schwarzer's goal.

It was Hart's surge into the box which brought Southgate's evening to a premature end as the England defender limped off with a serious groin injury after his attempt to win the ball.

There was a huge let-off for Boro after 23 minutes when Schwarzer produced a point-blank save to deny Gulls striker Chris McPhee.

It wasn't until that warning that McClaren's men finally sparked into life and the lowly Riverside crowd finally awoke as Danny Mills cut inside before letting fly with a stringing left-footed effort which Kuipers could only parry.

The Gulls keeper was called into action with half an hour on the clock when he got down well to save Queudrue's low effort following a strong, surging run from the full-back.

The home side were fortunate not to be reduced to ten men when Ricketts went in two-footed on Hart but Merseyside official George Cain brandished only a yellow card.

It was until the 39th minute that Boro finally found a way through the Brighton rearguard.

But with the linesman's flag already raised, Jonathan Greening struck the upright after Ricketts and Nemeth had combined well on the edge of the box.

Winger Stuart Downing, in for the rested Bolo Zenden, came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock when he flashed just wide from Nemeth's pass.

With half-time approaching, there were appeals for a penalty from Brighton when Leon Knight went down in the box under a fairly innocuous challenge form Queudrue.

There was a lengthy delay after the interval when Simon Rodgers was stretchered off after falling awkwardly on his ankle.

And when play did resume it wasn't until the hour mark that Boro recorded a shot on goal in the second half as Downing curled an effort over the angle of the goal.

The biggest cheer of the evening came in the 65th minute with the introduction of Brazilian star Juninho for the ineffective Ricketts.

It was Nemeth, though, who came closest to breaking the deadlock when he turned Mills' cross goalwards but Kuipers made a fine reflex save.

The Gulls keeper was called into action again to deny George Boateng before substitute Riggott sent his flicking header just wide from Juninho's corner.

Efforts from Greening and Juninho followed but to no avail as the game headed towards extra-time.

And after a frustrating evening in front of goal in normal time, it took Boro just five minutes to get off the mark in extra-time as Christie turned home Greening's cross with a clever back heel.

Boro may well have extended their lead but Christie's goal proved enough as Boro unconvincingly booked their place in the next round.

The Seagulls meanwhile will be hoping for more luck on their next trip to the North-East in three days time when they go to Hartlepool.

* There will be no video appeal over Chris Westwood's sending-off on Tuesday, writes Nick Loughlin.

The Hartlepool defender was dismissed after colliding with West Brom striker Scott Dobie in the Carling Cup tie at Victoria Park.

The red card issued by Phil Prosser changed the game - Pool were leading 1-0 before the dismissal and went on to lose 2-1.

Westwood's one-game ban will rule him out of the all-ticket game with Sheffield Wednesday at Victoria Park on Friday, October 10.

And frustrated boss Neale Cooper admitted: "I don't think the referee had any real choice because their player did so well to win the ball and Westwood was watching the flight too closely.''

Result: Middlesbrough 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 0.

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