Boro do a real Job on Fergie.

Middlesbrough set themselves up for the Tyne-Tees derby clash with Newcastle with a stunning 3-2 victory over Manchester United last night.

Boro boss Steve McClaren, who brings his side to St James' Park a week on Saturday, admitted he feared the worst when Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs struck either side of the interval to cancel out Juninho's headed double.

But the Teessiders refused to crumble and Joseph Desire Job slotted home the winner 10 minutes from time when he took Doriva's excellent pass on the edge of the area and fired past Tim Howard.

"There is still a long way to go and there will be a few slip-ups yet," said McClaren, who spent just over three years at United as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant.

"Manchester United have the experience to handle the pressure when it really counts. There is no-one better in that situation and I wouldn't write them off just yet."

McClaren's soothing words may be appreciated by his former boss but Ferguson has been around long enough to know that unless he finds a solution to his defensive fragility the chances of landing any silverware this season are remote.

His team have now shipped eight goals in three Premiership outings since Rio Ferdinand began his eight-month ban for missing a drugs test, the same number it took 10 games to concede while the England defender was still in the side.

"We can't keep conceding soft goals like we did last night," he admitted.

"There was a slackness about our defending and sometimes we are trying to run the ball out of defence or pass our way out when we should be putting our foot through the ball to clear it.

"We have been in this situation before but it is not a healthy one to be in and we have to do something about it."

United will look to rediscover the winning feeling in Saturday's FA Cup tie with out-of-form Manchester City.

Wes Brown's participation is in doubt after he left the field at half-time and did not return.

It must have been galling for Ferguson to see Gareth Southgate - a man he was linked with during the transfer window - make the block that denied John O'Shea what looked like a third goal for the home side before Job struck.

Diego Forlan had a chance to steal a point on United's last attack but planted an injury-time header against the crossbar to give McClaren the result he demanded.

After losing at home to Blackburn last weekend, Boro responded with one of their best performances of the campaign so far, even though their manager could hardly have expected Juninho to score twice with his head.

The second was especially woeful on United's part as they allowed the little Brazilian space in a packed penalty area to nod home Stewart Downing's cross.

"We showed tremendous resolve to come back again at 2-2 after we had been two goals in front," said McClaren.

"At times we rode our luck and we had to survive a lot of pressure but you need to do that every time you play against one of the big clubs.

"Before the game I told my team they needed to play with attitude."