Middlesbrough (0) 0 Manchester United (1) 2
Ryan Giggs turned in a captain's performance as Manchester United opened up a six-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.
The Welshman fired the visitors into a 25th-minute lead at Middlesbrough, and Park Ji-Sung completed the job six minutes after the break.
Boro, who now have just three games in which to stave off relegation, rarely threatened to deny United all three points in front of their biggest crowd of the season.
It was Boro who created the game's first opening, with three minutes gone, when Jeremie Aliadiere, playing alongside Marlon King in attack, turned smartly on the edge of the box before firing a low right-foot shot a yard wide.
Wayne Rooney curled a right-foot effort high over at the other end two minutes later, but although the visitors were enjoying the greater share of the possession, the Teessiders were defending resolutely.
Boro perhaps should have been in front when King played Aliadiere in on goal - Ben Foster saving with his legs as Nemanja Vidic slid in.
However, it was United who took the lead with 25 minutes gone when Federico Macheda, making his first league start for the club, stepped over Vidic's cross for Giggs to smash a left-foot shot into the bottom corner.
To their credit, Boro, whose recent record against the reigning champions is better than most, refused to let their heads drop in the immediate aftermath of Giggs' strike, and mounted a period of sustained pressure.
Referee Mark Halsey waved away appeals for a penalty for handball by Dimitar Berbatov on the half-hour, after the ball appeared to strike his arm.
United might have increased their lead in the final minutes of the half when, after Berbatov and Park had combined to move the ball from deep inside their own half to within shooting distance, Paul Scholes sent a long-range effort well wide, and the midfielder missed the target again in injury time after being picked out by the Bulgarian.
United resumed where they had left off and were almost in again within seconds of the restart.
O'Shea accepted Berbatov's pass wide on the right and sent in a low cross which Macheda controlled superbly past David Wheater. However, the 17-year-old's touch took him wide and Tony McMahon was able to clear before he could shoot.
The Italian should have claimed his third Premier League goal three minutes later after Rooney carved Boro wide open down the left. Rooney went past McMahon, cut inside and squared for Macheda six yards out. But the youngster stabbed the ball wide as he fell back.
The second goal did arrive, however, three minutes later when Park ran on to Rooney's superb reverse pass and thumped a shot past the helpless Brad Jones to effectively seal victory.
Southgate responded by sending on record signing Afonso Alves, who scored twice in the corresponding fixture last season, and Didier Digard for Marlon King and McMahon.
Ferguson too made his move by withdrawing Macheda and replacing him with Carlos Tevez, having earlier been urged in song by the travelling supporters to resolve the Argentinian's future.
Boro's afternoon was summed up 10 minutes from time when Alves carved his way to the edge of the box and then fell over his own feet as Rafael da Silva came to meet him.
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