Injury-hit Leicester were gift-wrapped three Premiership by a generous Middlesbrough defence at Filbert Street today.

A Keith O'Neill gaffe gave them the lead within the first 90 seconds - the midfielder slicing the ball into his own net.

Then five minutes before the break, Mark Schwarzer somehow let Andy Impey's shot from an acute angle beat him at his near post.

Andy Campbell's wonder strike gave Boro hope in the second half but their profligacy cost them dear.

Leicester were in front for virtually the whole game after Stefan Oakes swung in a free-kick from the right, makeshift striker Matt Elliott provided the faintest of touches and O'Neill hacked the ball past his own goalkeeper, Schwarzer, from six yards.

Worthington Cup heroics have taken their toll on Leicester's collective fitness and Steve Guppy, rushed back especially for Wednesday's 1-0 semi-final win over Aston Villa after knee surgery, was given further recuperation time.

England striker Emile Heskey joined the winger on the sidelines after failing to recover from a calf strain.

City manager Martin O'Neill was, however, able to name his other injury doubts, Neil Lennon and Muzzy Izzet with record £3million signing Darren Eadie slotting in on the left in place of Guppy.

Eadie almost provided a second goal two minutes after the Foxes had gone ahead but his driven cross was too powerful for the on-rushing Elliott, playing alongside Izzet in a mix-and-match City front line.

Boro coming into the game with just one win in eight games - a run which has seen them freefall down the Premiership table - had injury problems of their own.

Paul Gascoigne, Steve Vickers, Robbie Mustoe and Brian Deane all missed out due to illness and injury.

Middlesbrough struggled to find their feet and only had Paul Ince's deflected drive, which crawled around Tim Flowers' left-hand post, to show for their early endeavour.

Oakes then forced the first save of note, in the 18th minute, his 25-yard left-foot drive forcing Schwarzer to save at full stretch.

Juninho was behind most of Middlesbrough's best moments and the Brazilian tested Flowers with a shot from the edge of the box after he had danced his way through the Foxes' midfield.

The visitors grew in confidence as the half went on and but for some last-ditch tackles from Taggart and co in the Leicester backline, might have had more for their efforts.

Despite their increased pressure, Middlesbrough lacked the killer instinct in the final third of the field, a string of stray passes ruining their neat approach play, emphasised by a Christian Ziege corner that failed to enter the pitch.

And Leicester made them pay for their carelessness five minutes from theinterval when another defensive mistake, this time from Schwarzer, doubled City's advantage.

Izzet's deep cross from the left evaded everyone for Andy Impey to steal around the back of the defence.

The wing-back's effort from the narrowest of angles somehow beat Schwarzer at his near post, the keeper helping the ball over the line.

Middlesbrough clawed their way back into the game early in the second period through young striker Campbell.

Having forced Flowers into a scrambled save, 60 seconds earlier, that led to a Boro corner, the 20-year-old struck a splendid 51st-minute volley from 25 yards beyond Flowers' despairing dive.

O'Neill flicked the ball to Campbell from the left and the striker turned and dipped his shot over the keeper and into the top right-hand corner.

Juninho's free-kick on 66 minutes caused mayhem in the City defence, theball eventually being hacked clear after a couple of deflections had hurtled the ball into the six-yard box.

Leicester's cup exertions were clearly having an effect on the home side's legs and it was left to the visitors to do the bulk of the attacking.

Manager O'Neill clearly recognised his troops needed revamping and switched Matt Elliott back to his customary defensive role 20 minutes from the end.

Gianluca Festa may have provided an equaliser three minutes later but thedefender's shot after a pass from Campbell sailed wide.

But City held on for their first home Premiership win since November tofollow hot on the heels of winning a place in the Worthington Cup final.

Teams

Leicester: Flowers, Sinclair, Taggart, Savage, Gilchrist, Impey (Walsh 84), Izzet, Lennon, Oakes, Elliott, Eadie.

Subs Not Used: Gunnlaugsson, Campbell, Arphexad, Zagorakis.

Goals: O'Neill 1 og, Impey 41.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Fleming, Festa, Pallister, Ziege, Cooper, Ince, O'Neill (Ricard 80), Summerbell, Campbell,Juninho.

Subs Not Used: Beresford, Maddison, Armstrong, Gavin.

Booked: Summerbell.

Goals: Campbell 52.

Att: 17,550

Ref: S Bennett (Orpington).