MICK McCARTHY TOOK GREAT exception to the claim that, after 27 fixtures in the Barclays Premiership without a victory, a monkey perched on Sunderland backs. “It wasn’t a monkey,” the manager guffawed. “It was the Planet of the Apes.” In the glow of his team’s first win at this level since December 15, 2002, McCarthy was happy to give credit for the witty line to Tim Carter, his goalkeeping coach.

With a performance of grit, determination and cohesion, Sunderland yesterday banished a host of detested statistics. Since Michael Proctor — now playing for Hartlepool United — scored the decisive goal against Liverpool two years, ten months and ten days previously, the Premiership had been purgatory. That succour came away to Middlesbrough, their local rivals, made relief more potent.

”People were trying to blame the whole history of Sunderland on this team, my team — and that reflected badly on me — but it was a little bit unfair,” McCarthy, whose side clambered above Everton at the foot of the table, said. “This team had gone six games and now we’ve won the seventh. We’d already learnt how to play in this league and now we’ve learnt how to win. It’s a nice feeling.”

While he celebrated, Steve McClaren squirmed; with the resources at Middlesbrough’s disposal, this was nothing less than a humiliation. A chant of “McClaren for England,” crept around the Riverside Stadium as the match died on its feet, which should not be interpreted as any kind of compliment.

They are cursed by their inconsistency. Good enough to have beaten Arsenal at home and clobber Birmingham City 3-0 at St Andrews, they have also been thrashed by the same score at Charlton Athletic. On this occasion, there could be no spurious complaints about the heavy demands of European football — they had been excused a midweek Carling Cup fixture while Sunderland endured extra-time — nor regarding injury lists.

After a sequence of mediocre performances, McCarthy had dropped Jonathan Stead who, at £1.8 million, is his most expensive acquisition in management. In attack, Elliott (£125,000) partnered Andy Gray (£1.1 million); Yakubu and Mark Viduka, McClaren’s starting strikers, cost £12 million between them. The disparity was not matched by attitude. “People have said we’re down and doomed, but we’ve got self-belief,” McCarthy said.

Over the course of the afternoon, Massimo Maccarone and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink also appeared for Middlesbrough. Viduka curled one effort wide in the 54th minute, but that was when Christian Bassila and Nyron Nosworthy were off the pitch receiving treatment after a thudding clash of heads. Sunderland cannot have surprised anyone with their passion, yet Middlesbrough appeared perplexed.

On the hour, Julio Arca doubled his side’s lead with an exquisite curling free-kick from 20 yards. Their supporters chanted “easy, easy,” and in one sense it was, although they expended enough sweat for this victory.

Their opening goal, which was rudimentary, horrified Middlesbrough. Having smothered a volley from Viduka, Kelvin Davis thumped the ball downfield, Gray flicked it forward, Tommy Miller intervened, Elliott’s touch took a rebound off Gareth Southgate and Miller tucked a low shot beyond Brad Jones. Eighty-five seconds had elapsed.

McClaren’s players were now asked to shake off their traditional circumspection.

James Morrison turned a shot over, Viduka miscued a free chance, Gary Breen deflected a long-range from shot from Franck Queudrue for a corner, Morrison fluffed a one-on-one confrontation with the assured Davis and Yakubu neglected to take advantage of a slip from Nosworthy. The early departure of Ugo Ehiogu with a groin problem,did not help, but hardly explained Midlesbrough’s profligacy. From half-time onwards, they were dreadful.