ALL MANNER OF STEREOTYPES WERE undermined yesterday, from Bolton Wanderers being a difficult side to play against, to Middlesbrough being too coy to inspire pleasure in their supporters. The upshot was a match of haphazard quality and shimmering excitement, which stalled the Champions League ambitions of Sam Allardyce and left the Riverside Stadium coursing with adrenalin.

Little of it conformed to expectation, aside from the continuing good form of Steve McClaren’s strikers and Emanuel Pogatetz, the combustible defender who has earned the sobriquet “Mad Dog”. Pogatetz fell just short of issuing Kevin Davies with a formal declaration of war, but made do with offering to fight him in the tunnel.

Mostly, however, there was no structure to the chaos. Bolton grasped an early lead, then lost it; Middlesbrough stormed to a 3-1 advantage and then conceded two goals, scrambling a frenetic winner in the second minute of stoppage time. Meanwhile, Pogatetz was seeking retribution for the blood gushing from his temple.

Jostling for a high ball, Pogatetz was struck by a flailing elbow and, having shaken the limited sense from his head, the Austria defender hurtled down the touchline to confront Davies. He was cautioned by the referee, yet once Stuart Parnaby had bundled a wicked cross from Yakubu Ayegbeni across the line, he made repeated gestures in front of his aggressor.

There was more nonsense at the final whistle, when Pogatetz again squared up to the Bolton striker; credit is due to Steve Round, Middlesbrough’s assistant manager, for sprinting on to the pitch to defuse the situation.

As McClaren admitted, the afternoon was “a manager’s nightmare”, albeit one that concluded with a “big, big win, confidence and momentum”. His headache began in the fourth minute when Stelios Giannakopoulos put Bolton ahead. Middlesbrough responded with Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink converting a penalty that was awarded for Joey O’Brien’s blatant handball. Mark Viduka capitalised on sound work from Hasselbaink and Fabio Rochemback after half an hour, with his attacking partner scoring again two minutes after the resumption.

Ugo Ehiogu tugged back Jared Borgetti, Jay-Jay Okocha scored from the spot and then, in the 81st minute, Radhi Jaidi headed an unlikely equaliser. Even then, there was more to come, from Parnaby and Pogatetz, who would later require five stitches.