Man City 3
Riggott 10(og) Blumer 33,63
Middlesbrough 1
Hutchinson 89
Manchester City 3 Middlesbrough 1 October 07 2007
Elano produced two moments of Brazilian magic as Manchester City secured a well-deserved victory over Middlesbrough at Eastlands.
After beating Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer with a sensational 25-yard strike before the break, the 26-year-old left the Australian flailing in the second half too, curling a peach of a free-kick into the top corner.
The win maintained high-flying City's 100% home record and kept them third in the Premier League. And it did not flatter them one little bit.
Indeed, had Schwarzer not made a series of impressive saves, the damage would have been even worse with Gareth Southgate's men contributing to their own downfall after Chris Riggott turned Martin Petrov's corner into his own goal early on.
Debutant Ben Hutchinson tapped in a late consolation for Boro, but it was far too little too late.