Big Brother gets a kick in the teeth

Gareth Southgate’s late winner gave Middlesbrough a 1-0 victory over Liverpool at the Riverside. Champions Arsenal are only a point behind Liverpool at the top after Sylvain Wiltord scored the winner in a 1-0 home success over Newcastle United.

Elsewhere, Chelsea crushed Birmingham City 3-0 and there were victories too for Everton and Aston Villa. Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion drew 1-1, as did Southamtpon and Blackburn Rovers.

A furious Alex Ferguson blasted his Manchester United players after their shock defeat to the local rivals. “They have had a major rollicking in there and quite right too,” said the United manager, who was in charge when City last beat the Old Trafford club — a 5-1 win in 1989.

“I feel for the supporters at the moment…I wonder at times like this whether I should let the fans in the dressing room so they can let the players know how they feel.

“The players know how disappointed I am. We have prepared hard for this game but they have let us down. It was a kick in the teeth.”