Third-placed Middlesbrough fell to a surprise 3-1 defeat against lowly Bristol City at a foggy Riverside.
The Robins took an early grip on proceedings when Albert Adomah finished from close-range as early as the thirteenth minute. But on loan striker Ishmael Miller equalised following a corner to leave the two sides level at the break.
However, Stephen Pearson restored the visitors’ lead just past the hour and substitute Steven Davies later wrapped up their victory with just over a minute remaining.
The opening goal arrived when Joe Bryan progressed to the byline and allowed Adomah to squeeze a close-range finish underneath Jason Steele. Boro’s Lukas Jutkiewicz could have immediately equalised but Miller’s delivery narrowly escaped him while Emmanuel Ledesma saw an effort disallowed for offside.
The visitors were then calling for a penalty following Andre Bikey’s challenge on Ryan Taylor and Pearson also blazed a decent opportunity over – although it was Miller taking advantage of their inability to clear from a corner and levelling ten minutes before the break.
But it required a decent stop from Steele to keep out Adomah from the edge of the area before Ledesma was wayward from twenty-yards at the opposite end.
Boro duo Jutkiewicz and Miller were similarly wide upon the restart while Robins keeper Tom Heaton punched Grant Leadbitter’s corner against his own upright ahead of it being cleared to safety.
Neil Kilkenny then struck the underside of the crossbar at the other end but the visitors were still back in front when on loan Neil Danns found Pearson producing a low finish from inside the area.
Boro responded with Marvin Emnes being denied by keeper Heaton while substitutes Kevin Thomson and Luke Williams also threatened until Adomah turned provider to set up Davies just before the end.
There was still enough time remaining for Ledesma to deliver a 20-yard free-kick against the crossbar and Justin Hoyte to miss from the edge of the area on a very frustrating afternoon.
Middlesbrough: Steele, Parnaby, Hines, Bikey, Leadbitter, McEachran (Thomson 61), Ledesma, Emnes, Jutkiewicz (McDonald 61), Miller (L. Williams 72)
subs (unused): Leutwiler, Bailey, Halliday, Smallwood
Goals: Miller (35)
Bristol City: Heaton, Foster, Fontaine, Carey, Bryan (D. Wilson 90), Kilkenny (Woolford 79), Pearson, Elliott, Adomah, Danns, Taylor (Davies 85)
subs (unused): Gerken, Wilson, Anderson, Baldock
Goals: Adomah (13), Pearson (63), Davies (89)
Ref: Swarbrick
Att: 20,585
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