Middlesbro' 2
Yakubu 29, Arca 52
Charlton 0
Middlesbrough 2 Charlton 0 December 23 2006
Middlesbrough's victory over Charlton saved the club the ignominy of spending Christmas Day in the drop zone.
After a frustrating opening spell, Boro grabbed the lead in the 29th minute when Mark Viduka raced over the halfway line and found James Morrison, who in turn squirmed the ball to Yakubu unmarked in the right side of the box.
The Nigerian striker skipped over the challenge of Talal El Karkouri and side-stepped keeper Scott Carson before knocking the ball home.
The goal forced Charlton to abandon their defensive approach with El Karkouri and Djimi Traore missing half-chances for the visitors before the break.
But Boro sealed the win when Stewart Downing's set-piece was flicked back across goal to Julio Arca and he drilled a low left-foot shot which squirmed under Carson for his first goal for his club.