Chris Rigg nets winner as Sunderland beat Middlesbrough to go top

Le Bris had said in the build-up to this game that this occasion was not the “real derby”, but the hectic start suggested it mattered a great deal in front of the Championship’s biggest crowd of the season, 42,781.

Both teams could have scored inside the first seven minutes as first Scotland forward Conway headed against the top of the bar from Isaiah Jones’ cross, but he really should have found the net.

Then Eliezer Mayenda burst through the heart of the Boro defence, but was crowded out by Luke Ayling as he attempted to shoot inside the area.

But it was local boy Rigg who sent the stadium into raptures. Roberts’ shot was blocked by a sliding George Edmundson, but with goalkeeper Seny Dieng having dived in anticipation of a curling effort to the far corner, the teenager was fastest to react and found the net with a backheel from a tight angle.

Hailing from the Sunderland heartland of Hebburn, Rigg will know everything about where this fixture sits in the north east football landscape judging by his celebration.

As a breathless half came to an end, the Black Cats were appealing for a penalty as Romaine Mundle went down in a challenge with Ayling.

With home fans unhappy, Boro should have levelled as Jones lifted the ball to Emmanuel Latte Lath, but the striker lifted his effort over Anthony Patterson but wide of the net.