With those damning words still ringing in their ears, a rejuvenated City made relatively light work of Middlesbrough last night to ease the pressure on the shoulders of Stuart Pearce, their manager.

There has been much soul-searching going on at the City of Manchester Stadium, not least from Richard Dunne, who scored an own goal in his shambolic display against Wigan, so it was fitting that the captain should cap an outstanding performance with the game’s only goal midway through the first half.

Dunne had claimed beforehand that “personal pride” was at stake and the desire to atone for past mistakes was tangible. City were character personified, although their cause was abetted by a miserable Middlesbrough side, who seemed to realise that there was a game to contest in the only final 15 minutes, when Massimo Maccarone twice hit the post.

A point, however, would have been barely merited and instead it was Pearce who was able to reflect on a victory that extended the club’s unbeaten run at home in the Barclays Premiership this season to five games in which they have yet to concede a goal. If only their away form was as good.

“It’s frustrating for me that we do heap double the pressure on ourselves with performances like the one we produced at Wigan,” Pearce said. “This can’t erase what happened at Wigan, but I have to admire the character we showed.”

Pearce dropped five of the team who played at the JJB Stadium — which meant a place for Ben Thatcher after his eight-match ban for his vicious elbow on Pedro Mendes — but they were not the only ones to incur his wrath.

The manager also banished Beanie the Horse, the mascot he inherited from his young daughter, Chelsea, from his dugout. “Beanie’s been gelded,” Pearce joked.

The manager received all the vindication he needed in the 23rd minute when Dunne scored the game’s decisive goal, rising above Jonathan Woodgate and Robert Huth to head Joey Barton’s corner past Mark Schwarzer.

“We all took a bit of stick after the Wigan game, and rightly so, and this was our chance, live on television, to show people we are a decent side,” Dunne said.

Pearce could not praise his captain highly enough. “I’m a great believer that whatever you do as manager should be echoed by your captain and I think he showed what a big player he is for this club,” the manager said.

Middlesbrough had taken only four points from a possible 24 since their last away win, coincidentally against City in April, and it was not hard to see why despite Maccarone’s late efforts, which both came after the forward was freed by Stewart Downing.

It was a frantic finale to a game that City had otherwise dominated. With Barton pulling the strings in midfield, and Georgios Samaras and Paul Dickov proving willing runners, City always had an outlet.

When Darius Vassell squandered two inviting chances late on, it was easy to understand why City’s four strikers have managed only two goals between them in 29 Premiership appearances this season. Not that Middlesbrough’s forwards even got a sight of goal before Maccarone arrived.

“We were lifeless,” Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, said. Life is what City’s players have breathed back into their club.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2): N Weaver — M Richards, R Dunne, S Distin, B Thatcher — T Sinclair, C Reyna (sub: H Trabelsi, 80min), J Barton, D Beasley (sub: D Vassell, 71) — P Dickov (sub: B Corradi, 85), G Samaras. Substitutes not used: J Hart, D Hamann. Booked: Dickov, Barton.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): M Schwarzer — S Parnaby (sub: M Bates, 20), J Woodgate, R Huth, E Pogatetz — L Cattermole (sub: J Morrison, 66), G Boateng, F Rochemback (sub: M Maccarone, 74), S Downing — J Euell, Yakubu Ayegbeni. Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, J Arca. Booked: Pogatetz, Huth, Rochemback, Boateng.

Referee: H Webb.