Middlesbrough edged closer to relegation to the Sky Bet Championship after losing 4-0 at Bournemouth following their latest limp display.
In a match they desperately needed to win to boost their ever-diminishing chances of beating the drop, Boro were level for less than two minutes and collapsed thereafter.
Victory at the Vitality Stadium, followed by a further three points in the game in hand they are yet to play, may just have been enough to revive their season.
Instead, one day after the shock death of club favourite Ugo Ehiogu, another loss of a different kind became the latest miserable turn under caretaker manager Steve Agnew, who has overseen four defeats and two draws since his appointment.
AFC Bournemouth 4-0 Middlesbrough
