THE INDEPENDENT - FERGUSON LEFT OPEN-MOUTHED AS MIDDLESBROUGH SLAM UNITED
A cry in the dark from Sir Alex Ferguson? His Manchester United side's indifferent start to the Premiership season took a turn for the worse when he saw them torn apart by Middlesbrough.
Their 4-1 defeat at The Riverside may have been their first away from home in the League this season but it was their worst since March last year when they lost by the same score to Manchester City.
It left them sixth - 13 points behind the leaders, Chelsea, and four behind Wigan. Cristiano Ronaldo's late goal gave him no joy. Ferguson said: "The players should be angry with themselves. It was a bad performance and it was compounded by the fact we lost with terrible goals."
Shorn of magic inspiration and a midfield Manchester United were out-thought, outfought and truly outplayed by a mid-table Middlesbrough side who were plucked out of their own doldrums by the brilliance of Gaizka Mendieta.
Some might even talk of a humbling, a humiliation of a side which now lies 13 points behind Chelsea, the team who visit Old Trafford next weekend. They all contributed to their downfall, from a weak-handed goalkeeper through to a tired defence, an absent midfield and an out-of-touch forward line.
Middlesbrough had a two-man team at their heart which drove them into a position of dominance. George Boateng was crashing into superhuman tackles while Mendieta was conducting clinical muggings and distributing wonderfully.
THE OBSERVER - UNITED HAND OUT GIFTS ON VAN DER SAR'S BIRTHDAY
This was United's equal-worst defeat in the Premiership since Chelsea hammered them 5-0 in 1999 - and, surprise, surprise, it's Chelsea they meet next Sunday in the game that promises to be one of the season's most critical but, after this debacle, could prove merely academic.
United are now 13 points behind Jose Mourinho's men and although there are plenty of points still to play for and no one ever won anything in October, United's chances of challenging for the title look, to say the least, limited.
So what went wrong in a game whose scoreline equalled the beating handed out by neighbours Manchester City in March last year? United were outplayed, outthought, outrun, outtackled and outclassed by a Boro side who had previously won only once at home in the Premiership this season.
The damage may have been done before the sides even took the field. Rumour had it that the pre-match team-talk was given by the Middlesbrough chairman, Steve Gibson. It might be worth repeating that exercise on a regular basis.
More crucial was the Boro formation. Without established centre-backs Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu, manager Steve McClaren opted for a three-man backline of Matthew Bates, Chris Riggott and Franck Queudrue. A bold move, you might think, when faced with Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney. The result would appear to vindicate his decision.
True, Rooney did fire a shot across goal which Mark Schwarzer smothered and Van Nistelrooy spurned a decent chance when substitute Cristiano Ronaldo found him with a flighted cross from the right.
But then it was Mendieta back in the spotlight, given acres of space to sidefoot home Boro's fourth in the 78th minute after Aiyegbeni had shrugged off Ferdinand and pulled the ball back from the byline.
United's defence were in tatters, their shape had gone and although Rooney offered cameos of his skill, they were a strangely sorry sight.
THE SUNDAY TIMES - FERGIE FUMES OVER 4-1 ROUT
Their 1,000th Premiership goal was supposed to be cause for celebration, but when Cristiano Ronaldo reached that landmark with a stoppage-time header yesterday, there was not a flicker of emotion in the Manchester United ranks. To describe it even as a consolation, something pilfered in the name of pride, would be to misjudge the mood of a team subjected to as humiliating a defeat as they have experienced in recent years.
The standard was set as early as the second minute, Gaizka Mendieta’s soft volley from 25 yards squirming from the grasp of United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar to give Middlesbrough the lead.
Already dazed and confused by their hosts’ 3-5-2 system, the goal further disoriented United. Rio Ferdinand again raised questions about his reliability with more than one mistake under pressure. When his weak slap at a through ball by Boateng gifted possession to Mendieta, the Spanish midfielder allowed his shot to drift over the bar. That, though, would be the least of the England defender’s problems in a traumatic first half.
United were three goals down by half-time, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink adding the second after 24 minutes, cutting across Rio Ferdinand on the edge of the Manchester United penalty area before finding the net with a neat right-footed shot.
He could certainly have done more to prevent the second goal, which had the Riverside rocking with less than half an hour played. When Mendieta, who seemed to be everywhere, floated a delightful pass beyond a square United defence, Hasselbaink popped up at the back post. From there, he dinked the ball back across a hesitant Ferdinand and thrashed a venomous shot in off the body of Van der Sar.
United did not fare much better in the second period, and Mendieta made it four for Boro before Cristiano Ronaldo’s late header gave United their one meaningful statistic.
Asked whether he was angry after such an inept performance, Ferguson said: "It doesn’t matter whether I am angry or not, it is the players who should be angry and disappointed with their performance.
"It is important to us that they play with passion and pride. They should be disappointed. I expect my players to play with a bit of passion and when they get results like that I expect them to search within themselves and say that it’s unacceptable."
United travel to Lille for a Champions League tie on Wednesday then face Premiership champions Chelsea, 4-2 winners over Blackburn Rovers yesterday, at Old Trafford next Sunday in what is now being billed as a must-win game.
THE TELEGRAPH - TOOTHLESS UNITED SUFFER HUMILIATING REVERSE
The Riverside Stadium has proved a happy hunting ground for Manchester United over the years but such fond memories for Sir Alex Ferguson were banished in one fell swoop last night as Middlesbrough administered a chastising defeat on the fallen champions that promises to scar his recollections of Teesside forever.
To put this result into context, prior to kick-off Middlesbrough had scored just three league goals at home all season while United had triumphed on six of their last seven visits to the North East.
Statistics like these vanished into the cool night air, however, along with United's fading hopes of catching Chelsea in the now seemingly one-horse race for the title as Steve McClaren outwitted his former Old Trafford mentor and put right the wrongs of recent weeks in which his team have struggled to find top gear.