PETER REID'S failure to persuade Szilard Nemeth to join Sunderland two seasons ago came back to haunt him at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night.

Slovakia striker Nemeth, who opted instead to sign for a Middlesbrough regime then led by Bryan Robson and Terry Venables, was Sunderland's derby destroyer as he made a dramatic return from injury.

Steve McClaren has fashioned a new-look Boro, but he was grateful to his predecessors when Nemeth struck the opening and decisive blows as the Teessiders climbed to fourth in the Premiership table.

But McClaren's big acquisition, £8.15m Italy striker Massimo Maccarone, was the architect of Sunderland's downfall, setting up both of Nemeth's goals and grabbing one himself in between.

McClaren was vindicated in his decision to give free-transfer capture Nemeth the nod over Croatian ace Alen Boksic.

Making his first start this season after recovering from a hamstring injury, former Inter Bratislava frontman Nemeth struck first in the 16th minute with a helping hand - literally - from Sunderland goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

Castigated for his double World Cup blunder against England, the Danish international proceeded to heap more ridicule on himself.

Maccarone's pace and movement were a constant worry to the Wearsiders and he used both attributes to good effect as he pulled away from his marker to make room for a shot which Sorensen inexplicably allowed to bounce off his wrists into the path of the alert Nemeth who fired home the loose ball.

Record Boro buy Maccarone then registered his third goal since his summer arrival from Empoli with a 37th-minute header.

And in the 66th minute he slid a perfect ball to Nemeth who powered clear to draw Sorensen from his line and drive home.

It was Sunderland's third successive defeat at the hands of their bitter rivals in a fixture from which they rarely profit.

They have now won just once on Teesside at competitive level in over 40 years since Brian Clough - a legend with both clubs and guest of honour at Tuesday night's game - scored the only goal at Ayresome Park.

Darren Williams, another Teessider and the last Sunderland player to score a winner here five years ago, was on the Wearsiders' bench.

Sunderland fans suffered a pre-match shock when they learned that striker Kevin Phillips was ruled out and faced the prospect of six weeks on the sidelines after undergoing a hush-hush hernia operation.

Phillips' absence guaranteed a debut for Marcus Stewart, 11 days after he arrived from Ipswich as part of the £10m swoop which also secured the club record signing of fellow frontman Tore Andre Flo from Rangers.

There was a surprise for the home crowd, too, with midfielder George Boateng missing from the Boro line-up.

McClaren elected to switch Joseph Job into midfield and bring in Nemeth for his first appearance since a run-out as a substitute at Southampton on the opening day of the season.

In a brisk start so typical of these occasions, Sunderland were soon alive to Maccarone's menace and referee Alan Wiley wasted no time in flourishing a yellow card when Matt Piper flattened the Boro forward in only the third minute.

Encounters between these sides have a tendency to produce plenty of paperwork for the FA's disciplinary department - three Boro players were sent off in each of the previous three meetings.

And the second booking of the night wasn't long in coming, Boro right wing-back Robbie Stockdale lunging into a late challenge on Thomas Butler and paying the penalty.

The Sunderland winger still looked a little shaken when he was beaten by a robust Stockdale tackle on the left edge of the visitors' penalty area and it needed a smart block from Sorensen to snuff out the danger.

The keeper was clearly culpable when Nemeth struck three minutes later, but had no chance with the second goal.

Again, Butler figured when he appeared to be penalised for shirt pulling and from the resultant free-kick Franck Queudrue, who marked his Riverside debut last season with a goal against Sunderland, whipped in a wicked delivery which Maccarone met at the far post with a firm header.

Sunderland boss Reid had promised to go on the attack but, without Phillips, his side looked devoid of ideas up front and their closest first-half effort was a Claudio Reyna free-kick which was deflected narrowly wide with Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer seemingly rooted to the spot.

Flo should have done better with a header from Reyna's right-wing corner six minutes into the second period and when skipper Michael Gray then swung the ball over from the other flank, Piper jumped but couldn't reach it.

Job, who spent much of last season on loan in France with Metz but has seen his Boro career revitalised this term, forced Sorensen to tip over a fierce shot on the hour as the home side sought the killer goal which arrived when Nemeth netted his second.

Nemeth would have had a hat-trick but for Sorensen palming away his curling shot at full-stretch.

And Schwarzer denied Sunderland a late consolation when he saved Flo's header at his near post.