Rudy Gestede headed Middlesbrough to their first win of the Sky Bet Championship season as Sheffield United were denied a late leveller in their 1-0 defeat on Teesside.
Gestede, who managed just one Premier League goal along Boro's road to relegation following his arrival from Aston Villa in January, proved he should be a valuable asset at this level, from which new Riverside boss Garry Monk has been charged with escaping at the first attempt.
League One champions United showed flashes of inspiration - rolling the dice late on with the substitute deployment of returning club favourite Ched Evans - and they even thought Jack O'Connell had salvaged a point at the death.