Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing stunned Manchester United and even outshone Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The England under-21 winger started and finished the move which gave injury-hit Boro the lead in front of 67,000 fans.

And he intelligently gave his backline protection in the second half when Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs tried to get behind Boro down the flanks.

Downing gave Boro an unlikely lead after 33 minutes. His superb crossfield pass released James Morrison and when Morrison whipped in a centre across the six-yard box, Downing kept his cool to steer his finish past Roy Carroll.

Even though Alan Smith’s late equaliser gave Man Utd a 1-1 draw, the point was a huge bonus for Boro and Downing’s performance caught the eye of former England defender Alvin Martin.

"He had to keep his eye on Morrison’s cross because there were a couple of defenders in front of him.

"When the ball reached him, he made good contact. It was a great goal.

"In the second-half, United couldn’t get going out wide and that’s credit to Boro’s tactics with Stewart Downing playing his part."

Downing, one of the most gifted left-footed players in England, was a useful outlet whenever Boro broke and could have scored another when he tried his luck with a shot that went over the crossbar.

Lion of the Season - Total nominations so far

Ashley Cole 1
Stewart Downing 1
Steve Gerrard 1
David James 1
Ledley King 1
Michael Owen 1
Alan Smith 1
Shaun Wright-Phillips 1

Every Monday TheFA.com announces the best England player from the weekend with the help of a former professional. The player with most nominations in May will be named Lion of the Season