Ugo Ehiogu gave England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson a late squad reminder with his first goal of the season as Middlesbrough moved to within a point of second-placed Liverpool.
Centre back Ehiogu is eager to force his way back into Eriksson's plans after missing out on the World Cup.
And he staked a last ditch claim for inclusion in the party for the Euro 2004 qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia.
Boro stretched their winning run in all competitions to four games with a victory which also maintained their unbeaten record at the Riverside this season.
Ehiogu opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when he met Geremi's left-wing corner to power in a header which keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen could only help onto the underside of the bar as it flew in.
The outstanding Geremi was rewarded for a highly influential performance with his second Boro goal since his arrival on loan from Real Madrid.
But there was a strong suspicion of offside as he picked up fellow Cameroon star Joseph Job's through ball before placing his shot past Jaaskelainen.
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