Ryan Giles had the worst possible Riverside return as his late own goal condemned Middlesbrough to a 3-2 defeat to rivals Sunderland.

Giles could do little as the ball came through a big crowd in the penalty area, cannoning off him and into the back of his own net in the 87th minute to give Sunderland a win that takes them 14 points clear of Boro in the league table.

Delano Burgzorg had given Boro an early lead, but so often the makers of their own downfall, they were behind by the sixth minute of the second half by two more really poor goals scored by Dan Neil and Wilson Isidor. When Hayden Hackney equalised ten minutes later, Boro looked to have at least earned a point, before the cruel end for Giles.

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Michael Carrick made five changes to his side as Mark Travers and Morgan Whittaker came in for their debuts. Ryan Giles and George Edmundson made their first starts since returning, while Marcus Forss replaced Emmanuel Latte Lath up top ahead of his move to Atlanta United. The other big headline for team news, however, was the blow that Ben Doak suffered an injury in training ahead of the game and missed out.

Putting that to the back of minds for kick-off though, Boro lifted an already raucous Riverside by unveiling new striker Kelechi Iheanacho. He’s joined on loan from Sevilla until the end of the season and no doubt liked the look of the service he’ll be getting moving forward.

Boro started really brightly and were 1-0 up in just the 11th minute. After Forss went really close in just the fourth minute with a close-range header that was well-saved by Anthony Patterson, Burgzorg made no mistake with his opportunity.

Between Forss and Hayden Hackney, Boro won possession back well against former loan man Patrick Roberts. Hackney took charge from there and threaded a wonderful through ball for Burgzorg to run on to. With plenty of time to think about it, Burgzorg showed excellent composure to finish.

Sunderland responded well to falling behind and there were signs of edginess from a Boro defence that have really struggled of late with errors. Despite that, for the next 20 minutes, it was almost exclusively the home side with the major chances.

One particularly good break from Boro saw Hackney drive towards the box with the ball while Burgzorg and Forss peeled off either side him. Hackney opted to go left to Forss and weighted a ball for the Finn to run on to on his stronger right foot. He got the finish all wrong though as it went high and wide.

At the other end, a competent Travers on debut saved well from a Chris Mephem header, but he could do nothing in the 33rd minute when Burgzorg was too weak in the challenge on the edge of Boro’s box, allowing Neil a sight at goal. His hit wasn’t likely to cause Travers problems, but Edmundson threw his body in the way to block, inadvertently deflecting it beyond Travers for the equaliser.

This season, Boro have gifted soft goals and been so poor at holding on to leads in games. It proved the case again on both fronts as the two sides headed off level after an uneventful final ten minutes of the first half.

Not buoyed by whatever was said at half-time, Boro started slowly in the second half and Sunderland smelled blood. Luke Ayling didn’t do Aidan Morris many favours with his poor touch from a long ball. With Morris dispossessed, it took just one pass to open Boro up as Edmundson attempted an awful offside trap. Isidor accepted the gift, rounded Travers and put the visitors ahead. Another calamitous Boro goal to concede.

Sunderland’s lead didn’t last long though. As the mood threatened to turn among frustrated home supporters, Boro were given a gift of their own just before the hour mark. Caught out playing out from the back, Morris stole the ball from Jobe Bellingham and teed Hackney who, from around 25 yards, thundered it into the far corner. Amid two rejected Porto bids in the final week of the transfer window, that was quite the emphatic response.

Travers’ impressive debut continued shortly after. With his feet not set as Sunderland switched quickly from right to left, Isidor’s volley across goal forced him to make a great reaction save. In the build-up, Morris fouled Bellingham having already been booked. Referee Stephen Martin resisted Sunderland calls for a yellow card.

It left the game poised for a tense final 25 minutes, with the game there to be won for either side. To do so, Carrick introduced deadline-day signing Samuel Iling-Junior and also fit-again striker Tommy Conway.

But it was Sunderland who would score the game’s fifth and final goal. Ayling, who had a torrid evening against Enzo Le Fee, was beaten far too easily again after Morris gave it away with an overly casual pass. The ball across was an excellent one and when it reached Giles at the back post unexpectedly, he couldn’t react quick enough to stop it going in off him.

On the same night the transfer window slammed shut, the result and performance will do little to ease fans’ concerns. A heavy focus on attacking options have left the Boro squad looking top-heavy despite season-long vulnerabilities at the back. Boro are so often the makers of their own downfall, and so it proved again in this one.