Paul Ince returned to his former club and helped inflict a defeat which leaves West Ham's hopes of European football hanging on a knife-edge.

Ince never expects a traditional warm East End welcome at Upton Park and the self-styled Guv'nor certainly had little respect on his former manor.

His attempts to dominate the midfield battle were stifled by Frank Lampard, whose sterling service to loan striker Frederic Kanoute was the catalyst to the Hammers' early dominance.

However, Brian Deane's 60th-minute penalty ensured Ince had the last laugh to leave Harry Redknapp's hopes of again planting the claret and blue flag in European soil precariously balanced.

Kanoute has been a revelation since arriving on loan and Harry Redknapp's desire to capture his long-term signature was underlined with an attention grabbing first-half performance.

He weaved and danced through Boro tackles and even threatened to divert attention away from Paolo Di Canio.

Whilst the fiery Italian greets every referee's decision with wild staring eyes, Kanoute gives a simple Gallic shrug.

His powerful run into the heart of Mark Schwarzer's area was brought to a premature end by Gianluca Festa, with referee Barry Knight frantically waving away his team-mates seemingly justified appeals.

However, chances remained thin on the ground with Marc-Vivien Foe's early drive and Deane's speculative long-range header for the visitors, the best opportunities to break the deadlock.

Ince continued to run the gauntlet of abuse with every touch and was lucky to avoid a caution for a rash challenge on Rio Ferdinand.

But it was Juninho who sparked life in Bryan Robson's side's challenge.

He twisted and turned to shrug off the close attentions of Ferdinand but his exhaustive efforts were not supported by those around him.

A well-worked training ground combination between Ferdinand, Foe and Lampard presented the Hammers with their best scoring opportunity but in a crowded penalty area the former England Under-21 captain failed to steer his header on target.

Paulo Wanchope finally forced Schwarzer to spring into action but his late first-half shot was easily smothered by the under-worked visiting keeper.

West Ham's neat brand of passing football continued to dominate after the break but with scoring chances in short supply, it seemed inevitable the deadlock would be broken from the penalty spot.

Against the run of play Boro's Mark Summerbell split the previously unerring Hammers defence with a beautifully-weighted pass to striker Andy Campbell.

Campbell, the youngest-ever Premiership player when he made his debut two seasons ago, chased down the loose ball but his attempt to turn and shoot was curtailed by a rash challenge from keeper Ian Feuer.

Despite half-hearted Hammers pleas, Feuer earned himself a caution and Boro seized the lead with Deane's thundering penalty leaving the stand-in keeper with no chance.

With no room for mistakes in their increasingly doomed challenge for a lucrative UEFA Cup place, the Hammers recent free-scoring form dramatically dried up.

Eight goals in their last three games had given manager Harry Redknapp hope but even Di Canio, the Hammers heartbeat this season, had mislaid the key to his box of magic tricks.

Teams:

West Ham: Feuer, Margas, Ferdinand, Stimac, Sinclair, Lampard, Foe, Keller, Di Canio, Wanchope, Kanoute.

Subs Not Used: Bywater, Moncur, Carrick, Potts, Ruddock.

Booked: Sinclair, Feuer.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Festa, Vickers, Cooper, Stamp, Juninho (Ricard 82), Ince, Summerbell, Fleming, Deane, Campbell (Mustoe 73).

Subs Not Used: Beresford, Maddison, Stockdale.

Booked: Fleming, Stamp.

Goals: Deane 60 pen.

Att: 25,472

Ref: B Knight (Orpington).