Manchester City 0 Middlesbrough 1
Lee Cattermole’s first Middlesbrough goal condemned Manchester City to their fourth straight Premiership defeat.
Cattermole nodded home Stewart Downing’s cross three minutes before the break to seal victory for the visitors, which ended any lingering fears about getting dragged into a relegation scrap.
A disappointing City outfit barely created a chance of note and had it not been for a string of fine saves by David James, the margin of Boro’s victory would have been even more decisive.