Football: UNITED ON THE MARCH

SIR Alex Ferguson last night revealed that his New Year resolution was to mount a sustained title challenge after his side ensured former assistant Steve McClaren would start 2005 with a sore head.

Goals from Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs kept United within touch of the top two and underlined just how far Middlesbrough still have to come before they can talk of themselves as Champions League contenders.

Chelsea might still enjoy a nine-point lead at the head of affairs, but United have clawed back bigger gaps before and last night's display was full of the determination and desire that could yet see a sensational turnaround in the next five months.

Middlesbrough started the day just two places below United, but they were brushed aside with an ease that suggests McClaren may have to enter the transfer market if his side are to muscle into the top four.

Ferguson has no such worries - although goalkeeping cover still remains a priority - and, while the United boss continues to talk down his side's chances, he admitted their eighth win in the last nine games was rarely in doubt.

"We're in a great vein of form," said Ferguson. "We have been playing with great conviction and consistency and that's pleasing to see.

"We can challenge if we keep going. We have to be patient - we have to keep playing the way we have been doing.

"It's much to early to talk about winning it, though. There are 16 or 17 games still to go and we'll just have to wait and see."

With Chelsea having won at Liverpool earlier in the day, Ferguson locked horns with his former protege knowing his side could not afford to concede more ground.

With Wayne Rooney suspended and both Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha injured, Ferguson also found himself robbed of pounds 60m worth of talent at the Riverside.

But, while Alan Smith was the only orthodox frontman on display, both Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo ran riot on their respective flanks.

Middlesbrough were also under-strength up front, with Mark Viduka's hamstring injury ruling him out, but while Joseph-Desire Job was anonymous before withdrawn at the interval, the home side lost the game in midfield.

United made the perfect start with Ronaldo rattling the post in the eighth minute before Fletcher capped an action-packed opening with his side's opener less than 60 seconds later.

Ronaldo was left all alone when Paul Scholes had a shot charged down - the Portuguese international looked to run from an offside position before hitting the upright - and Fletcher's strike also owed a lot to some sloppy Boro defending.

Smith started the move with an incisive reverse pass and, after Giggs had galloped clear of Michael Reiziger on the left wing, Fletcher was left with the simplest of finishes from the edge of the six-yard box.

Bolo Zenden fired a speculative 30-yard strike over the crossbar as the half-hour mark approached but, while Stewart Downing's pace always offered Boro an outlet, Ferdinand and Mikael Silvestre strolled through a trouble-free first half.

United's accomplished passing game meant they were always in the ascendancy, with Ronaldo's trickery proving particularly difficult for Boro to deal with.

The Portuguese winger came close to creating another opening for Smith - Gareth Southgate cutting out his centre at full stretch - before the Boro skipper was rather less composed in up-ending Smith on the edge of the box.

McClaren's half-time response was to replace the ineffectual Job with Szilard Nemeth, although the Slovakian international slotted into midfield in an attempt to win Boro more of the ball.

The change momentarily spurred Boro into action but, while Hasselbaink headed over shortly after the interval, the home side never found their attacking rhythm.

Roy Keane's dominant display made sure of that and, when Boro finally started throwing more men forward, Keane simply dropped a little deeper to give his back four the extra protection they required.

United made the win safe ten minutes from time, with a goal that owed a lot to second-half substitute Eric Djemba-Djemba.

The midfielder had only been on the pitch for a matter of seconds when he sent Giggs through the middle, and the Welsh winger outfoxed Southgate before guiding a precise finish past Mark Schwarzer.

VERDICT

This was easier for United than a lot of people might have expected - and that shows just how far the big three are ahead of the rest in the Premiership

ATTENDANCE: 34,199

MAN OF THE MATCH

CRISTIANO RONALDO

The young Portuguese winger tormented Dutch defender Michael Reiziger all game long.

0 Shots on target 4

5 Shots off target 5

1 Shots blocked 4

10 Corners 4

13 Fouls conceded 10

0 Offsides 2

1 Yellow cards 0

0 Red cards 0

RATINGS

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer 7; Reiziger 5, Southgate 6, Cooper 5, Queudrue 7; Parlour 7, Doriva 5 (Morrison 6), Zenden 7, Downing 7; Job 5 (Nemeth 5), Hasselbaink 7.

MAN UTD: Carroll 7; P Neville 7, Silvestre 7, Ferdinand 8, Heinze 7; RONALDO 9 (Djemba-Djemba 5), Fletcher 8, Keane 7, Scholes 8, Giggs 8 (Bellion 5); Smith 8.

MANAGERS: McClaren 6; Ferguson 7

REFEREE: A Wiley 7

Colin Cooper made his 600th league appearance of his career - but it was not one that the 37- year-old will want to remember for long.

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