Murphy seals Sunderland survival but Southgate must fight on

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Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate admitted his players were 'incredibly low in the dressing room' as they heard Sunderland fans celebrating. The home club had purged the memory of the last calamitous Premier League campaign, when they accumulated a miserly tally of only 15 points.

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Flying high: Michael Chopra takes the acclaim after scoring for Sunderland

Sunderland have taken 39 this time around with two games still to play, which is "progress, if not perfection" as manager Roy Keane said.

Middlesbrough are only four points clear of relegation after succumbing to Daryl Murphy's stoppagetime winner. Dejected Southgate described this setback as "a huge disappointment, one of the most painful memories I have had in football".

The day could hardly have started better for him as his team chased a fourth successive win at Sunderland's ground. Afonso Alves pounced on a Nyron Nosworthy lapse and played in Tuncay who calmly slotted his seventh goal of the season. The key to Sunderland's success came via their immediate response, with Danny Higginbotham's punishing header relieving the tension of team-mates and fans alike.

Michael Chopra had to swap a bloodstained shirt for an unnamed one after David Wheater splattered his nose with a stray arm, but the striker had his revenge as he left the big defender in his wake on the way to giving Sunderland an interval lead.

His glory looked like being snatched away as Alves poked home an equaliser, only for Murphy to head home from fellow substitute Grant Leadbitter's corner.

Southgate said: "We made poor and wrong decisions all over the field all afternoon and coming in a derby makes it all the more acute. Seeing Sunderland celebrate will hopefully galvanise us."

There are no such worries for Keane, who said: "You have to give the players unbelievable credit. They have been brilliant in terms of attitude and desire — in that department they should be top of the league.

"I was walking the dog when we won promotion so it was special for everyone today. Now we can plan how we are going to improve the squad."