FOR WEEKS Sir Alex Ferguson has been saying “it’s about ticking the games off at this stage of the season”. That mantra failed to convey the drama of squeaky-bum victories over Tottenham, Sunderland and Aston Villa, but this one really was as simple as making an ink stroke on a piece of paper beside the word Middlesbrough.

There was no turbulence, no bravura comeback and there were no heroics from Federico Macheda, who looked just a boy rather than a boy wonder when asked to start rather than come off the bench. But, for Manchester United, there were three more points and Ryan Giggs, their man of the match, can contemplate a quite ridiculous 11th Premier League winners' medal. Even sweeter, perhaps, winning the title would equal Liverpool’s record 18 English championships.

Despite Middlesbrough’s feisty opening and admirable levels of professional pride exhibited by several of their young players to ensure this never became a rout, tension ebbed the moment Giggs scored after 25 minutes and vanished completely when Park Ji-Sung made it 2-0 early in the second half. United can now afford a defeat and a draw in home fixtures involving Manchester City and Arsenal and still be champions by beating Wigan and Hull away. Irrespective of Liverpool’s results, the title can be won as early as Saturday week, when Arsenal visit Old Trafford. Arsène Wenger’s team, of course, are United’s next opponents in a Champions League semi-final and Ferguson could win yesterday while resting seven players who featured in last Wednesday’s first leg and are all likely to appear in Tuesday’s second.

This is usually a more testing venue for United and it was surely history rather than anything that happened yesterday that led the manager to say: “We knew it was going to be a battle.” He was more accurate when he added: “Ryan’s goal sealed the victory. Once we got in front, that was it. It’s a big step towards the title because there are only four games left.”

For Middlesbrough the days left on death row are dwindling and an execution date is drawing near. For any chance of a reprieve they must win their next game, against Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Gareth Southgate achieved some initial success using Tuncay as a central midfielder and Stewart Downing as a floating player, but it was misleading and once Giggs and Paul Scholes established control, Middlesbrough’s middle section were increasingly ineffective. A team who can’t even score against West Brom were never likely to trouble England’s meanest defence, even with Rio Ferdinand missing from it, and Afonso Alves’ promising dribble in the final minutes ended with him falling over, encapsulating why Middlesbrough have the fewest goals in the Premier League.

To stand any chance, Southgate noted, his team needed to score first and during an even opening period, a chance fell Middlesbrough’s way before one did United’s. Played clear by Marlon King, Jeremie Aliadiere was neither accurate nor powerful enough and Ben Foster saved with his legs.

United scored on their next attack, Wayne Rooney finding Nemanja Vidic and Vidic passing the ball across the edge of Middlesbrough area, where Matthew Bates was taken out of the game — possibly illegally — when he tangled with Macheda. Giggs collected and his low shot was struck so cleanly there was no point in Brad Jones even moving. It was similar to a goal Giggs scored 13 years ago when the title was clinched at the Riverside. You know someone is a legend when they emulate their younger self.

Sentiment might have influenced the PFA to make Giggs their Player of the Year but as Ferguson said: “The media made something of it but no professional would begrudge the award.” As the Welshman’s all-round performance showed, sentiment is not why Ferguson still picks him. In the company of some world-class talents, Giggs passed better, dribbled better and finished better than any other player.

Middlesbrough felt they might have had a penalty when the ball struck Vidic’s arm and both Macheda and Rooney provoked the Riverside’s highest crowd of the season with challenges on David Wheater and Bates. At half-time Southgate struggled to remotivate his players. “When you’re second bottom of the league and behind to the world champions,” he said, “it’s difficult to find belief.”

Macheda could not profit, turning wide from six yards, but Park could. A fluent passing move, also involving Giggs and Dimitar Berbatov, allowed Rooney to slip a pass through to the Korean, who spanked a shot first time past Jones.

The likes of Bates and Wheater, who raced back to tackle Carlos Tevez when 3-0 beckoned, never gave up but resignation clouded some of Southgate’s other players and, after 10 successive away defeats, the manager is giving his squad a two-day break before commencing preparations for the visit to St James’ Park.

“It’s important the players get some time off with their families. The next week’s going to be intense enough,” he said with a justifiably grim tone. “They’ll come back in on Tuesday and work their backsides off.”

Star man: Ryan Giggs (Manchester Utd)

Yellow cards: Middlesbrough: Huth. Manchester Utd: Macheda.

Referee: M Halsey

Attendance: 33,767

MIDDLESBROUGH: Jones 5, McMahon 6 (Digard 55min, 6), Wheater 6, Huth 6, Hoyte 6, O’Neil 6 (Emnes 70min), Tuncay 5, Bates 7, Downing 6, Aliadiere 5, King 5 (Alves 55min, 5).

MANCHESTER UTD: Foster 6, O’Shea 6, Vidic 7, Evans 7, Evra 6 (Rafael 78min), Park 6 (Nani 74min), Scholes 7, Giggs 8, Rooney 7, Berbatov 5, Macheda 5 (Tevez 55min, 6).