MIDDLESBROUGH snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when three second-half goals gave Aitor Karanka’s side their first victory in almost a month.

Boro have struggled in the Championship since the international break, and had not won since beating Leeds 3-0 at home on September 27, and for a long spell at Molineux that run looked unlikely to come to an end.

But Diego Fabbrini cancelled out Dave Edwards’ first-half opener, and Grant Leadbitter fired home from the penalty spot with ten minutes left on the clock, before Stewart Downing – left out of Karanka’s starting XI – curled home a sublime free-kick in stoppage time.

Middlesbrough’s team bus was caught up in pre-match traffic in Wolverhampton and as Edwards headed home Scott Golbourne’s cross to give Wolves a 22nd-minute lead, it could be asked whether Boro had turned up at all.

Karanka shuffled his pack once more after Tuesday night’s 1-0 defeat at Cardiff City, leaving out both Albert Adomah and Downing and giving Emilio Nsue a more attacking role on the right side of midfield.

David Nugent cut an isolated figure in the opening 45 minutes as Boro huffed and puffed, with a Tomas Kalas shot from range and a George Friend half-chance all the visitors had to show.

Arguably, Wolves should have been down to ten men after Conor Coady steamed into Kalas. The midfielder was already on a yellow card but referee James Linington opted not to dismiss him.

It would prove to be Linington’s last act as official as he could no longer continue after the interval, with fourth official Darren Drysdale stepping into the role.

Drysdale was quickly in the thick of things, booking Friend for a robust tackle on Matt Doherty as what was already a niggly game threatened to boil over.

Kortney Hause was stretchered off for Wolves after a collision with Nugent, while Diego Fabbrini was booked for a nasty tackle on goalscorer Edwards.

Downing was introduced into the game on the hour mark to replace Kalas, who had been struggling since Coady’s challenge, and Boro started to make a fist of chasing the game.

Nugent had a header on goal saved by Emilio Martinez from Fabbrini’s cross, but Wolves – who had been quiet in the second 45 minutes up to that point – almost made it game over when substitute James Henry’s first time effort from six yards out was parried away by Dimi Konstantopoulos.

The save was to prove vital when Middlesbrough got a foothold in the game when Downing fed Fabbrini, and the on-loan Watford midfielder fired in a low shot that beat Martinez courtesy of a deflection with 71 minutes on the clock.

Adomah was introduced two minutes earlier and as Boro equalised, the pendulum swung their way. The Ghanaian drew two saves out of Martinez as the visitors looked to gain the three points that would have looked unlikely earlier in the game.

And that would prove to be the case when Boro were awarded a penalty on 81 minutes. Friend was felled by Nathan Byrne, and Leadbitter stepped up to drill his first goal of the season past Martinez into the bottom left corner.

Wolves almost levelled things in the last minute of normal time when Jack Price fired goalwards, but Fernando Amorebieta heroically stuck his head in the way and cleared to safety.

Injury to Adomah which saw him replaced by Gibson two minutes from the end brought six minutes of added time, but rather than Wolves exerting pressure, it was Boro who put the gloss on their victory when Downing curled home inside the second minute of added time.

There was time for Wolves to go on the attack but found themselves denied three times by Konstantopoulos as Boro held on.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (4-5-1): Martinez; Doherty, Batth, Hause (Price 52), Golbourne; McDonald, Coady, Byrne (Ojo, 84), Edwards, van La Parra (Henry 61); Afobe. Subs: Ikeme, Wallace, Ojo, Deslandes, Le Fondre.

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1): Konstantopoulos; Kalas (Downing 59), Ayala, Amorebieta, Friend; Clayton, Leadbitter; Nsue, Fabbrini, De Pena (Adomah 69, Gibson 88)); Nugent. Subs: Mejias, Kike, Stephens, Maloney.

HOW TWITTER REACTED TO THE VICTORY:

Tom Ramsey ‏@TomRamsey94

What a player @Clayts15 is, quality performances every single week He'll be running the show at Old Trafford come Wednesday night #UTB

Mark Bayley ‏@mark33198050 

That's more like it. Great 2nd half. Surprised leaving Downing out but that's the way to respond. #UTB

Nick Ransom ‏@TheNickRansom  

Well I wasn't expecting that! An outrageous second-half turnaround by #Boro at Wolves today. #UTB

adam ward ‏@adamward5994  

That passion from @Clayts15 is the reason why all fans should back the team no matter what. #OnceARedAlwaysARed #UTB

Anthony McCarthy ‏@paulistapark 

Wolves ended up hungry and Downing the dumps while Boro were satisfied thanks to a quality Stew #boro140 #utb