Middlesbrough 0 - 2 Sunderland

Not since Liverpool left the Stadium of Light empty-handed on December 15 that year had the Black Cats collected all three points in the Premiership.

But after being robbed of a win in injury-time by West Brom last weekend, they made sure at the Riverside Stadium as their industry and application was matched by the kind of finishing which has cost them so dear since their latest emergence from the Football League.

• 'It gives us belief'

Midfielder Tommy Miller got them off to a dream start when he fired home off the foot of a post with less than two minutes gone, and a victory which takes Mick McCarthy's men off the foot of the table was sealed by Julio Arca's superb free-kick on the hour.

In between the two goals, it took four magnificent saves from goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, who has had a mixed start to his career on Wearside, to deny James Morrison, Aiyegbeni Yakubu and George Boateng twice an equaliser.

But even the most loyal of Boro supporters would have difficulty arguing the visitors were not good value for the points.

The Teessiders, who head for Greece this week defending a 2-0 UEFA Cup qualifier lead over Skoda Xanthi, were far from at their best and left the field both at half-time and on the final whistle to jeers from the bulk of a crowd of 29,583, once again some 5,000 below capacity.

McClaren was targeted personally by some disgruntled supporters when he made his way into the technical area as time ran down, and he will know more performances like this one will severely damage his side's hopes of breaking into the top six this season.

McCarthy has insisted for much of the campaign that his side has been playing well but has been punished for errors and by some superb finishing.

His words have sounded increasingly hollow as games have come and gone, and the fact they were denied their first Premiership victory of the season against West Brom in injury time last weekend simply served to emphasise the fact that good performances count for nothing if they do not result in points.

Nevertheless, the manager and his players headed for Teesside confident they could be a match for a Boro side which has been hamstrung by inconsistency in recent weeks, and on the evidence of their first-half display, that confidence was well placed.

They were helped by getting off to the perfect start when Miller, who learnt his football just down the road at Hartlepool, took advantage of hesitancy in the Boro defence under pressure from Andy Gray and Stephen Elliott to fire past stand-in keeper Brad Jones off the foot of the post.

Precious as it was, however, that goal was only a start, but having got themselves in front, the Wearsiders were not going to surrender their advantage without a fight.

Boro were misfiring badly and were not helped when they were forced into a reshuffle by Ugo Ehiogu's departure through injury.

However, they created enough chances to have got themselves back on level terms and perhaps even better but for the efforts of under-pressure Sunderland keeper Davis.

The £1.25million signing kept out Morrison's low drive on the half hour and then blocked Yakubu's shot from point-blank range seconds later.

But his best was to come five minutes into injury time when he saw Boateng's effort late as it sped through a crowded penalty area, but still got a hand to it to keep it out.

Boro were booed from the pitch by their disappointed fans and they returned knowing they had to step up a gear if they were going to get themselves back into the game.

But with new signing Fabio Rochemback, so impressive on his debut in the victory over Arsenal, wanting far too much time on the ball, things repeatedly broke down in the middle of the field.

Sunderland's luck held out on 54 minutes when, with Nyron Nosworthy and Christian Bassila both off the pitch after clashing heads, Yakubu found Mark Viduka on the edge of the box and his curling shot went just wide.

But the visitors increased their lead on the hour after Boro skipper Gareth Southgate brought down Elliott 20 yards out to concede a free-kick in a dangerous position.

Arca had to wait what seemed like an age as referee Howard Webb tried to control the pushing and shoving around the defensive wall, but he maintained his composure to curl a superb free-kick past the helpless Jones to make it 2-0.

Franck Queudrue could not match his accuracy with his own set-piece attempt on 64 minutes, and McClaren changed things immediately, sending on the fit against Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Ray Parlour for Yakubu and Morrison.

Boro dominated the closing stages, but did not trouble Davis again until injury time when he palmed away another Boateng shot to ensure his clean sheet.