ONE of football's oldest adages suggests that, while form is temporary, class just never goes away.

Going into last night's home game with Manchester City, both Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were suffering from a dip in form that was threatening to halt Middlesbrough's Champions League chase.

But, by the time the final whistle blew on a deserved 3-2 win, the duo had shared three goals between them and underlined just how classy a partnership they are.

Viduka's double, scored at the start of either half, ended a barren run that stretched back all the way to Boro's European debut against Banik Ostrava on September 16 and continued his trend for scoring his goals in a glut.

Hasselbaink has not had to wait quite as long, but his first goal since October's hat-trick at Blackburn underlined his set-piece ability and silenced those who were beginning to question his lack of goals.

City have their own seasoned striker and Robbie Fowler reaffirmed his ability with a well-taken leveller before the break.

Bradley Wright-Phillips ensured the younger generation would not be forgotten with a goal of his own but, on a night when two of England's brightest youngsters went head to head on Boro's left flank, it was the home side's golden oldies that claimed all three points.

The game had been billed as the battle of two wingers but other than whipping in a dangerous cross midway through the first half, Shaun Wright-Phillips found himself successfully shackled by the returning Michael Reiziger.

Instead, it was Boro's own wing wizard who ensured a torrid time for another comeback kid.

Danny Mills was making his first appearance at the Riverside since his wage demands scuppered a summer move from Leeds and, after making 28 league appearances for the Teessiders last season, the full-back should have known all about Stewart Downing.

Sensing danger is very different to stopping it though, and it took less than ten minutes for Downing to drift in from his left flank to help fire Middlesbrough into the lead.

He had already surged past Mills' outside by that point so, with the City full-back showing him onto his right foot, the youngster slipped inside to chip an incisive through ball into Viduka's path.

An impeccable first touch left the Australian in the clear and, with Richard Dunne opting to shy away from a tackle for fear of conceding a penalty, Viduka lifted the ball over the advancing David James with a delightfully delicate chip.

The striker's composure was particularly commendable given his long wait for a goal, and he almost made it two in eight minutes with another piece of quick thinking shortly after.

The ball broke kindly after Hasselbaink won an impromptu wrestling match with Dunne but, while James looked as flummoxed as ever after racing off his line, the erstwhile England international did enough to deflect another Viduka chip wide of the target.

With Bolo Zenden impressing at the heart of midfield, Boro's dominance of the opening period was just about total but, as half-time approached, the visitors finally awoke from their slumbers. Just as Viduka had proved his enduring class at the start of the half, so former Leeds team-mate Fowler rolled back the years six minutes before the break.

Distin slung in a long ball from the left and, after Jon Macken's cushioned header had teed him up, Fowler surged between two Boro defenders to crash a half-volley in off Schwarzer's boddy.

Viduka's partnership with Hasselbaink has faltered in recent weeks - the duo had gone six games together without a goal before last night - but they combined to devastating effect as the home side regained the initiative eight minutes after the break.

Receiving Tony McMahon's throw in with his back to goal, Viduka played a slick one-two with his strike partner before finding the far corner of the net with the outside of his right foot.

Hasselbaink's precise lay-off was crucial but, while Boro's second was largely down to team-work, their third goal of the night was all about one man.

Dunne felled Hasselbaink on the edge of the box and, after dusting himself down, the Dutch international took two small steps before bending a venomous free-kick past James' left hand.

Zenden went close to adding a fourth as he almost latched onto Downing's raking left-wing cross, but the visitors ensured a nervy finale by closing the gap ten minutes from time.

The Boro defence failed to deal with Dunne's long ball and, after Mills had nodded back across the face of goal, substitute Bradley Wright-Phillips - Shaun's younger brother - drove home his first senior goal from ten yards.

Viduka should have claimed a hat-trick in the 84th minute, but he failed to connect with Ray Parlour's cross with the goal at his mercy.

Bradley Wright-Phillips almost made him pay, blazing wide from the edge of the area after Fowler's knock-down fooled everyone, but Mark Schwarzer ensured there would be no sting in the tail by turning Joey Barton's fierce drive over the top three minutes from time.