Middlesbrough 2-0 Coventry

Colombian Hamilton Ricard scored a fantastic 25-yard goal as Bryan Robson's side ran out comfortable winners against a very poor visiting side.

First half strikes from defender Gianluca Festa after 10 minutes and Ricard on 20 were enough to see Boro return to winning ways.

A traumatic week for the Teesside club has seen an injury to midfielder Paul Gascoigne and a possible three point deduction in the Premiership hanging over them.

But after a tepid opening few minutes, the game came to life when Colin Cooper crossed a teasing ball from the left eluded both the Coventry and Middlesbrough players in the box.

Boro's Italian defender Gianluca Festa was on hand, unmarked, to slot the ball through Magnus Hedman's legs, from six yards out.

Teenager Robbie Keane was well shepherded by his Irish international team-mate Curtis Fleming throughout the first half.

Coventry's record signing looked to create, but support from the likes of Mustapha Hadji and fellow Moroccan Yousef Chippo was virtually non-existent.

After 20 minutes Boro's German Christian Ziege swung in a corner from the left which the Coventry defence failed to clear.

The ball fell to the diminutive Juninho who laid the ball into the path of striker Hamilton Ricard.

The Colombian took aim and and rocketed a 25-yard piledriver past Hedman to score his ninth league goal of the season.

Ricard and Ziege had both missed Monday's abject 4-0 defeat at home to Aston Villa and their returns certainly made a difference.

Robson's men should have put the match out of Coventry's reach on the half hour mark, but Ricard's chip from a Juninho lay-off, was gratefully gathered by Hedman.

The second half was a dour affair and it never looked as if Gordon Strachan's side would be able to break down the Boro defence.

Unlike on Monday Robson's men fought for the points all the way, although Paul Ince was perhaps guilty of overdoing it when he clattered into substitute John Eustace after 70 minutes

The Coventry youngster was forced to come off the field on a stretcher with his neck in a brace.

The only time the Sky Blues tested Mark Schwarzer in the Boro net was when the lively Keane struck a tame shot, which never really threatened the keeper.

Teams:

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Fleming, Festa, Pallister, Cooper, Ziege, Juninho, Ince, Summerbell, Ricard, Campbell. Subs: Beresford, Moore, Maddison, Armstrong, Stockdale.

Coventry: Hedman, Gustafsson, Shaw, Williams, Burrows, Hadji, McAllister, Palmer, Chippo, Keane, Roussel. Subs: Hyldgaard, Breen, Strachan, Quinn, Eustace.

Referee: G Barber (Tring, Herts)