City sunk as Boksic plays a blinder

A game at the Riverside that see-sawed crazily from end to end saw Middlesbrough ride out easy winners – but only after Manchester City's threatened revival had been halted in its tracks by the dismissal of Shaun Wright-Phillips.

With 18 minutes remaining, City threatened to tip the balance back their way with an equaliser when, for the second time, the wing-back timed his tackle terribly and was sent off.

"I don't think we have too many complaints,'' City's manager, Kevin Keegan, said. "We played some good football, had a little chance at 2-1 but I've no complaints with the sending-off." A goal up and a player better off, Middlesbrough could not be thrown off and Géremi sealed the points with a tap-in that went in off Peter Schmeichel.

"I think it was an excellent game for a neutral, end to end, and Manchester City came here to contribute,'' Middlesbrough's manager, Steve McClaren, said. "We kept going and going and got the breakthrough. I enjoyed watching us play – young, enthusiastic and at times naïve. But we'll learn.''

From the first whistle to the one that signalled the end for Wright-Phillips in the 72nd minute, both teams were committed to extravagant attacking and haphazard defending.Wright-Phillips drove City's first-half attacks forward, continually looking for the impressive Nicolas Anelka.

The skippings of Joseph Desiré Job and the running of Massimo Maccarone fuelled Middlesbrough, with Alen Boksic adding some astute touches. Between them in the first half they beat Schmeichel time and again, but could not find the net: Danny Tiatto cleared Gareth Southgate's header off the line; Job turned and deliciously shaved a post and Maccarone glanced a header criminally wide.

The chaotic excitement continued after the break. Maccarone immediately claimed a penalty and, down the other end, Anelka needed careful policing by the impressive 20-year-old defender Stuart Parnaby. City's next attack saw Schwarzer fly to deny the Frenchman and then, seconds later, Ugo Ehiogu bravely blocked another Anelka effort.

The game surged to the other end, with the left-back Tony Vidmar haring on to Boksic's weighted pass. Across came Wright-Phillips, wiped the Aussie out, and received his first booking. Géremi floated the perfect free-kick on to Ehiogu's head for the first goal of the game and Ehiogu's second of the season.

Middlesbrough scored again less than 10 minutes later, and Géremi was again the creator. His first delivery with a corner was poor but his second, when the ball was returned to him, was immaculate and Boksic rose at the back and headed home to end an eight-month drought.

And that should have been that. But another crazy lurch saw Jonathan Greening launch a kamikaze kick that went towering over his own penalty area. Ehiogu made a porr attempt at clearing it and City, in slow motion, passed the ball back into the centre for Anelka to slide home. Back on track, City were derailed four minutes later as another late lunge from Wright-Phillips caused his early walk.

City were sunk. In the dying minutes, Job, who has not scored in his last eight games, slapped a post and Maccarone – no goals in his last seven – had an effort disallowed. The Italian then twisted and carved through City's defence, beat Schmeichel only for Kevin Horlock to nudge the ball off the line into the path of Geremi who tucked away the third.

Middlesbrough 3
Ehiogu 53, Boksic 62, Geremi 84

Manchester City 1
Anelka 68

Half-time: 0-0 Attendance: 31,510