Richard Dunne scored a 23rd-minute winner as Manchester City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the English Premier League on Monday night, surviving two shots off the post by Massimo Maccarone with goalkeeper Nicky Weaver beaten.
The goal came when Joey Barton’s far-post corner sailed perfectly for Dunne, who leapt to drive a header into the roof of the goal.
The victory was Man City’s first in four games and comes a week after they were thrashed 4-0 by Wigan. It kept City unbeaten in five matches at home — having yet to concede a goal — and improved their standing on the league table to 12th place with 12 points.
The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Middlesbrough, who fell to 15th place with 11 points.
”It was a big result for us today [Monday] after the disappointment of last week,” City striker Paul Dickov said. ”We are all a bit embarrassed. It was so important to bounce back and we showed our pride. Everybody wants to play for the shirt.” — Sapa-AP