Middlesbrough and Sunderland shared the points in the 128th Tees-Wear derby with a scrappy 1-1 draw.
Both sides remain inside bottom half after a 1-1 draw at the Riverside
Middlesbrough and Sunderland shared the points in the 128th Tees-Wear derby in a match defined by two moments of quality.
Afonso Alves put the hosts in front on the stroke of half-time, but a second-half goal from Kenwyne Jones eight minutes from time ensured Sunderland made the short trip home with a draw.
Alves' cool finish after Stewart Downing's 44th minute slide-rule pass was the first and only real sign of quality in a match that lacked any spark or sign of goals.
Boro had always looked the more likely to open the scoring and the goal gave the hosts a lift as they went in to the interval.
But Sunderland responded after the break, getting back on level terms after 82 minutes.
Pascal Chimbonda played the ball from defence out to Andy Reid who threaded an inch-perfect ball down the wing to fellow substitute David Healy.
Healy sent the ball across the six-yard box behind David Wheater and Jones beat Chris Riggott to the ball to side-foot home.
Late sparkle
The late flurry provided an eventful conclusion to a largely uneventful game, and there is little doubt that the travelling fans among a crowd of 29,310 on a bitterly cold afternoon at the Riverside would have been the happier as they headed off on their short journey back up the A19.
Boro were left to reflect upon what might have been, although Southgate would have been disappointed with the way his side capitulated after losing impressive central midfield pairing Josh Walker and Didier Digard to injury.
Downing, who spent much of the week in discussions with Southgate, chairman Steve Gibson and chief executive Keith Lamb after seeing his transfer request and at least two bids from Tottenham rejected, was included in the starting line-up and his presence was greeted warmly when his name was announced.
By the time he and his team-mates headed for the dressing room at half-time, his stock had risen further after a dreadful 45 minutes finally exploded into life right at the end of the half.
Neither goalkeeper had been forced to make a save of any note as the clock ticked into the 45th minute of a game which was crucial to both sides.
But it was then that Downing, playing just behind lone striker Alves, who turned up on the right to collect the South American's pass and then return the favour as the club's £12.7million record signing headed into the box.
Quality
Alves' finish was emphatic and left goalkeeper Marton Fulop stranded, sending the home fans into raptures.
That brief cameo, however, was in stark contrast to much of what had gone before with the two sides largely cancelling each other out.
Boro enjoyed the better of the few chances that came the way of either team, Sunderland old boy Julio Arca firing just wide under pressure from Nyron Nosworthy on the half-hour, and Tuncay Sanli and Digard both going just over from distance.
At the other end, Djibril Cisse guided a weak 28th-minute header wide from Danny Collins' floated cross, but other than that, the visitors created little.
That was as much down to the effectiveness of Boro's midfield, in which Digard and teenager Walker were quietly impressive, as to their own failings, and manager Ricky Sbragia had plenty of talking to do at the break.
Disappointment
Walker's afternoon, however, ended in tears just two minutes into the second half when, after he had pulled out of an aerial challenge, he left the pitch in some discomfort to be replaced by Johnson.
The newcomer lined up on the left side of midfield with Arca pushing inside to join forces with Digard, and it did not take long for the youngster to make his presence felt.
Downing broke with 53 minutes gone and picked Johnson out on the left, and he cut inside before firing a right-foot shot into Fulop's midriff.
The game was becoming increasingly physical and Digard and Kieran Richardson both needed treatment after an horrific clash of heads, the Sunderland man earning a booking for his part in the incident.
Digard eventually admitted defeat and walked off with his head in his hands as he was replaced by defender Matthew Bates, and Sbragia responded by sending on Andy Reid for the ineffectual El-Hadji Diouf.
He was soon followed by Healy, and the Northern Ireland striker wasted little time in making his mark, collecting Reid's 82nd-minute pass on the right and squaring for Jones to beat Chris Riggott and Tony McMahon to the ball and sidefoot past Ross Turnbull to snatch a point.
It might have been worse for Boro when Edwards got his head to Reid's late corner, but Johnson was in the right place at the right time to rescue his side.
| Middlesbrough |
Team Statistics |
Sunderland |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 3 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 0 |
Blocked Shots |
3 |
| 2 |
Corners |
7 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
13 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
5 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
4 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 75.3 |
Passing Success |
72.4 |
| 20 |
Tackles |
23 |
| 65 |
Tackles Success |
78.3 |
| 52.3 |
Possession |
47.7 |
| 48.9 |
Territorial Advantage |
51.1 |
|
