AS Howard Wilkinson hobbled away from the Stadium of Light, one weary Wearside wag suggested he had the look of a lame duck.

A torn calf muscle was the cause of the Sunderland manager's discomfort; a case of adding injury to insult perhaps.

The Sunderland fans who streamed out of the ground long before the final whistle certainly viewed this humiliating defeat - at the hands of bitter derby rivals - as an affront.

Wilkinson's appointment in October, following the sacking of Peter Reid, was greeted with dismay in many quarters, and the former FA technical director is now in the process of presiding over a footballing catastrophe.

While, in mitigation, he inherited a mess from his predecessor, Wilkinson's record as Sunderland boss bears telling testimony to his abject failure to get to grips with the job.

Under Reid, the Black Cats won two out of nine Premiership games this season; under Wilkinson they have won two out of 19.

This was their fifth successive League setback, and worst losing sequence in the Premiership, and relegation from the top-flight for the seventh time in the club's once-proud history is now a near formality.

They have taken only one point from the last 27 and are now seven adrift of a position of safety.

Wilkinson's priority on Saturday night was setting the record straight over his pre-match comments, which seemed to suggest that his rock-bottom side were not prime candidates for the drop.

"I'm not stupid, I know where we are; we're bottom of the table,'' said Wilkinson.

"What I was trying to say was that I cannot allow myself to contemplate relegation.

"I have to think only that we can get out of this trouble so long as we have the games and the points to play for.

"For me to start talking about the consequences publicly is to invite the players to think that, somewhere in the back of my mind, I actually think it can happen. It then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"At the moment, I don't think that.

"The Sunderland supporters need to understand that.

"We're doing everything possible to try to rectify the situation.''

With the transfer window closed, the average fan won't be holding his or her breath.

What he or she will be fearing in the medium term - apart from relegation - is losing the predatory talents of Kevin Phillips when the window is flung open again in the summer, by which time Sunderland will very likely be preparing themselves for life in the Nationwide League.

Phillips showed again in this game why he is now simply too good for Sunderland.

The striker's ninth goal of the season - and fifth in seven games in all competitions - offered ephemeral hope of a fightback against a Middlesbrough side who were two goals to the good through centre-back Chris Riggott by the 28th minute.

Phillips' 56th-minute finish was Premier quality, a flashing right-foot drive from around 25 yards that scraped the post on its way past Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who until then had been chiefly untroubled.

"After Kevin's fantastic goal, I even started to think a victory was possible,'' said Wilkinson.

Such thoughts were soon banished three minutes later when Kevin Kilbane's negligent backpass was intercepted by Boro's £3m striker Malcolm Christie, who broke clear to beat keeper Thomas Sorensen and mark his first start for his new club with a goal.

Riggott, who like Christie moved from Derby County on deadline day at the end of last month, could scarcely have believed he would outscore him after two Boro appearances apiece.

After ending their Premiership away-goal famine in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool a fortnight earlier - they had gone 13 hours and nine minutes without scoring - Boro recorded their first win in 12 games on their travels in League and Cup.

Wilkinson admitted his concern that his side had conceded their first two goals from corners after devoting considerable time to defending set-pieces in training in the lead-up to the game.

Geremi, Boro's scorer at Anfield, swung over a left-wing flag-kick, Christie's glancing header was saved one-handed by Sorensen, and Riggott rammed the loose ball into the roof of the net to hand the Teessiders a 21st-minute lead.

There was a sense of Groundhog Day seven minutes later when Geremi sent in another corner from the same flank.

Jonathan Greening lifted the ball back into the box after it had been knocked out, before Michael Ricketts chested down for skipper Gareth Southgate to strike against a post - and Riggott to rifle the rebound high into the net once more.

In marked contrast to Wilkinson, Boro manager Steve McClaren was given spending power to revive his side's season.

As well as Christie and Riggott, he recruited striker Ricketts from Bolton for £3.5m.

"We needed to bring players in and there's a buzz and a freshness about the place now,'' said McClaren.

"The target is simply to improve on last season. We've played some fantastic football this season, and only lost once at home.

"I thought this was a professional team performance. We played at our own tempo and dictated the game.

"Malcolm has shown he can score and I thought Michael was a great outlet for us.

"He put himself about and showed his strength, and centre-halves don't like playing against people like him.

"I thought Malcolm and Michael were the platform for our victory.''

The result completed Boro's second successive League double over Sunderland, but the signs are it could be some time before they have the chance to do so again.

Result: Sunderland 1 Middlesbrough 3.