Nemeth and Viduka leave Palace in ruins

Nemeth made one goal and scored the other to ensure Boro's hopes of reaching a second Millennium Stadium final in three years remained very much alive.

The Teessiders were made to work for their passage into the last eight against a Palace side which, having dropped out of the top flight on the final day of last season, relished the prospect of testing their credentials against a Premiership outfit.

Palace had led, albeit fortuitously, through Franck Queudrue's catastrophic own goal in the first half.

But it was the 32nd-minute wake-up call Boro needed against their Championship opponents.

It was Nemeth, so often a peripheral figure in Steve McClaren's plans, who turned the game Boro's way in the second half.

The Slovakian had a hand in Mark Viduka's 52nd-minute equaliser. Moments later Nemeth claimed Boro's crucial second to book their place in Saturday's last-eight draw.

There were 10,791 there to watch Boro progress in the competition they won last year, and while it was far from convincing, it was a case of job done as the Teessiders turn their attentions to Saturday's trip to Chelsea.

Despite taking his tally to nine goals in the 2-2 draw with West Brom at the weekend, Nigerian Yakubu was dropped to the bench, as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink earned a recall to partner Viduka in attack.

Ugo Ehiogu, Nemeth and Doriva were also back in McClaren's starting XI.

Palace keeper Julian Speroni bravely saved at the feet of Viduka in the sixth minute, although Boro's Australian international may have made more of the chance had he been quicker off the mark from George Boateng's pass.

At the other end, Boro were given an early scare when Mark Schwarzer sprawled full length to push Jon Macken's low effort wide.

Palace's foray into the home half proved brief and after a neat passing moved between Stuart Parnaby and Hasselbaink, the latter crossed for Nemeth, who could only sky his close-range shot high over the bar under pressure from visiting captain Tony Popovic.

Predictably, Andrew Johnson was Palace's most prominent figure in the first half, although he was far from appreciative of former England teammate Gareth Southgate's lunge, which earned the Boro skipper a 26th-minute booking.

Worse was to follow for the Teessiders five minutes later when Queudrue submitted his own entry just in time for the next Christmas bloopers video. McAnuff's speculative cross from the left didn't look dangerous, with the nearest Palace player, Macken, yards away, but Queudrue felt it was and his miss-hit clearance rolled past Schwarzer.

With half-time approaching Boro should have levelled through Viduka but the ex-Leeds man could only slam his shot straight at Speroni to cap a frustrating half for the home side.

But, despite a confident start to the second half from the visitors - who replaced Johnson with Clinton Morrison at the interval - Boro, after riding their luck in the opening exchanges, drew level through Viduka. Connecting with Nemeth's pass, Viduka took one touch before unleashing a stupendous volley into the top corner of the net.

It got better for Boro three minutes later when Nemeth made it 2-1. Returning the compliment after scoring his seventh goal of the season, Viduka played in Nemeth down the right and from a tight angle the Slovakian fired into the roof of Speroni's net.

A now vibrant Boro went in search of a third and it almost arrived courtesy of Hasselbaink, who rattled the upright from 25 yards out.

Parnaby could have put the game beyond Palace when he rifled two good efforts off target.

But by then Boro's name was already in the hat for the quarter-finals.

Next up for McClaren's men is the small matter of a Premiership trip to Chelsea on Saturday. And, if the Teessiders are to achieve what no other side in the Premiership has this season, and come away from Stamford Bridge with any points, then a vast improvement on last night's less than convincing display will be required.