West Bromwich 0 Middlesbrough 2: The supporter who threw his season ticket at Steve McClaren with such fury little more than three weeks ago could never have imagined what he was about to provoke. The reaction from Middlesbrough since that miserable afternoon on Teesside has been extraordinary.
Progress in the FA Cup and Uefa Cup have heightened hopes of claiming silverware this term while yesterday any lingering fears of relegation from the Premiership were swept aside as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink continued his renaissance. Two goals from the Dutchman, taking his tally to seven in his past 10 appearances, allowed Boro to ease past Albion and open up an eight-point gap over third-bottom Birmingham.
That chasm provides a clear picture of the relegation battle, with Birmingham or Albion likely to drop to the Championship come May. The derby at St Andrew's on Saturday week could well prove pivotal with both sides facing a tough run of fixtures, including meetings with Manchester United and Chelsea before the end of March.
Hasselbaink's ruthless finishing ended any hopes Bryan Robson might have had of leapfrogging the club he managed for seven years. Hasselbaink's movement and pace troubled Albion's centre-backs, Neil Clement and Curtis Davies, throughout - no more so than on the first goal. Yakubu Aiyegbeni turned neatly before threading a pass beyond Clement. Hasselbaink, having adroitly pulled off the shoulder of the Albion defender, used his speed to carry him to the edge of the area before he pummelled a shot past Tomasz Kuszcak.
Hasselbaink scored his second, one minute before the interval. After being upended by Davies, he picked himself up before hammering a free-kick past Kuszczak via a deflection off Ronnie Wallwork. "A cruel goal," said Robson. Albion never recovered.
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