The 8-1 win over Manchester City was Boro's biggest in the top flight since they put eight past Huddersfield in 1950.

Manager Gareth Southgate said: "It was a mad day, wasn't it? I think from our point of view, I don't think we've had a lot of good fortune this year and we seemed to get all our good fortune and all our goals in one day.

"Certainly, the turning point was the sending off and the important goal for us was the third because even at 2-0 they have got some good players who could still keep the ball well.

"But we scored some brilliant goals and played some really good football and it was nice for our players to play without pressure - that is the first time we have been able to do that this season."

Stewart Downing fired home a 16th-minute penalty after City captain Richard Dunne was harshly sent off for bringing down Tuncay Sanli and eight minutes before the break Afonso Alves slotted home the second.

After the break, it was one-way traffic but the extent of City's capitulation would be concerning for whoever is in charge at the start of next season.

Downing smashed in a superb left-foot volley and Alves scored a second before substitute Adam Johnson netted with a deflected long-rang shot.

Fabio Rochemback curled in a 30-yard free-kick and Jeremie Aliadiere fired home with Elano getting a consolation before Alves completed his hat-trick in the final minute.

The future of Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is likely to become much clearer today.

City suffered an embarrassing 8-1 defeat to bring the curtain down on the Swede's first season in English club football.

However, it could be his last at Eastlands as his job was under threat even before the capitulation at the Riverside.

Eriksson left his post-match press conference last night admitting he expected a phone call from the club's owner Thaksin Shinawatra - or at least one of his advisers - to update him on news about his future.

But it does not look good for the ex-England coach, with former Thai prime minister Thaksin having already expressed his disappointment with the final outcome of Eriksson's 10 months in charge.

That is despite the Swede guiding the club to ninth in the Barclays Premier League - their best finish since Kevin Keegan led them to eighth in 2004-05 - and a possible place in the UEFA Cup awaiting via the Fair Play League.

"To live in the unsecure is never good for anyone but I hope to not be living in the unsecure very soon, within hours," Eriksson said last night.

"I expect to speak to people - or they speak to me - from the owners' side but I have had no answer (about the future) yet."

Asked when he expected to speak to Thaksin, Eriksson said: "Now, as soon as I have finished here I hope."

Of the effect the speculation about his job had on the players and the performance, he added: "You can never measure that."