LONDON, Oct 31: Richard Dunne scored a 23rd-minute winner and Manchester City beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in the English Premier League on Monday night, surviving two shots off the post by Massimo Maccarone with goalkeeper Nicky Weaver beaten.

The goal came when Joey Barton's far-post corner sailed perfectly for Dunne, who leapt to drive a header into the roof of the goal.

The victory was Man City's first in four games and comes a week after they were thrashed 4-0 by Wigan.

The win kept City unbeaten in five matches at home – having yet to concede a goal – and improved them to 12th place with 12 points.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Middlesbrough, who fell to 15th place with 11 points.

“It was a big result for us after the disappointment of last week,” City striker Paul Dickov said. “We are all a bit embarrassed. It was so important to bounce back and we showed our pride. Everybody wants to play for the shirt.”

Results:

Played on Monday:

Manchester City 1 Middlesbrough 0

Played on Sunday:

West Ham United 2 Blackburn Rovers 1

Played on Saturday:

Arsenal 1 Everton 1

Bolton Wanderers 0 Manchester United 4

Fulham 0 Wigan Athletic 1

Liverpool 3 Aston Villa 1

Newcastle United 0 Charlton Athletic 0

Portsmouth 3 Reading 1

Sheffield United 0 Chelsea 2

Watford 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0

—Agencies