WITH thick fog swirling around the Riverside Stadium, there were periods of last night’s game between Middlesbrough and Reading where it was hard to see exactly what was going on. By the time the final whistle blew after a breathless encounter, however, the outcome of the Championship promotion race had begun to become clear.

Adam Forshaw’s winner, in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, sent Boro back to the top of the table for the first time since the start of February. Aitor Karanka’s side are two points clear of Burnley, who they meet next Tuesday, and four points ahead of third-placed Brighton, who they face on the final day of the season.

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Adam Forshaw celebrates his late winner. Picture: Raoul Dixon/North News & Pictures

Neither advantage is anything like insurmountable, but as a joyous George Friend led the post-match celebrations, this felt like a night that could well prove decisive. Twenty-four hours after Brighton had displayed their battling qualities with a stoppage-time winner at Nottingham Forest, Boro proved they are every bit as durable.

The win was no more than the Teessiders deserved after a thrilling evening that saw Reading goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi repeatedly keep them at bay with a succession of superb saves.

Leading through Emilio Nsue’s early strike, Boro were pegged back when Dimi Konstantopoulos’ error enabled Simon Cox to equalise midway through the second half.

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Reading's Simon Cox (left) scores his side's only goal. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

They continued to pour forward in search of a winner though, and while Reading might have claimed a victory themselves had Matej Vydra not ballooned over the bar at the start of stoppage time, Forshaw’s strike brought the house down.

The midfielder drilled in at the near post after Albert Adomah deflected Adam Clayton’s miscued strike into his path, and while he might have been a fringe player for long periods of the season, his intervention was a ringing endorsement of Karanka’s squad rotation policy.

Karanka had spoken of the potential impact of fatigue prior to kick-off, so it was no surprise to see Stewart Downing and Jordan Rhodes return to the starting line-up, even if at least one change was inevitable after Cristhian Stuani received a three-match ban for an elbowing offence on Saturday.

The promotion of Nsue to an attacking-midfield role would probably not have happened had Stuani been available, but it nevertheless highlighted the African’s increased seniority this season.

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Emilio Nsue and Reading's Matej Vydra. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Nsue is no stranger to playing in an attacking role – he regularly lines up as a centre-forward for his international side, Equatorial Guinea – and he was the central figure as Boro made the kind of dream start that would have settled any pre-match wobbles in the wake of Brighton’s late winner 24 hours earlier.

Nsue had already gone close with a shot that deflected over the crossbar off Jordan Obika when he broke the deadlock in the tenth minute, and his opener owed much to the kind of predatory instincts that would not normally be expected of a full-back.

Ab-Habsi produced an excellent point-blank save to deny Rhodes after an overlapping Friend crossed from the right-hand side, but Nsue reacted quickest to slam home the loose ball from the edge of the six-yard box.

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Emilio Nsue fires home Boro's opener. Picture: Raoul Dixon/North News & Pictures

It was his third goal of the season, and his first since claiming the winner in December’s 1-0 victory over Burnley. Given that he scored at both Barcelona and Real Madrid during his time in La Liga, it is clear that he thrives on important games.

Reading threatened an immediate equaliser when Cox drilled wide from 20 yards, but Boro spent the remainder of the first half constructing a series of fluent attacking moves that repeatedly threatened to result in another goal.

Friend saw his long-range effort deflect into the side netting after Ritchie de Laet combined with Nsue to unlock Reading’s left-hand side, and Al-Habsi got down well to hold on to a powerful Downing effort as the hosts continued to cause problems.

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Ritchie De Laet tussles with Reading's Simon Cox. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

To the visitors’ credit, they attempted to get as many men forward as possible, and Cox, who has a chance of making the Republic of Ireland squad for this summer’s European Championships, whistled another long-range effort just wide of the target shortly before the half-hour mark.

With Rhodes heading Adomah’s hanging cross straight into Al-Habsi’s arms, the game had an end-to-end feel that was uncharacteristic of most Boro matches this season, but the hosts would have had a more comfortable half-time lead had it not been for Al-Habsi’s heroics shortly before the interval.

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Reading keeper Ali Al-Habsi in a fog-shrouded Riverside. Picture: Raoul Dixon/North News & Pictures

The former Bolton and Wigan shot-stopper did superbly to turn Adomah’s shot around the post after the winger rounded off a counter-attack sparked by Downing’s dogged winning of possession on the halfway line, and repeated the trick seconds later as he tipped Friend’s stinging effort beyond the opposite upright.

The goalkeeper’s heroics enabled Reading to remain in touch, but he should have been beaten within 40 seconds of the second-half restart. De Laet’s barnstorming run down the right-hand side culminated in an astute pull-back to Adomah, but with the goal seemingly at his mercy, the winger scuffed his shot dreadfully from no more than eight yards.

It was a really poor miss from Saturday’s match-winner, and Boro paid a heavy price when Reading equalised eight minutes later.

Konstantopoulos helped block a front-post flick from Cox shortly after the interval, but the Greek goalkeeper was at fault when the same player claimed his first goal since December 2014.

Former Boro full-back Andrew Taylor drilled in a low strike that Konstantopoulos should really have dealt with comfortably, but the keeper could only parry the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box, enabling Cox to chip home.

Konstantopoulos’ error was in marked contrast to the continued excellence of Al-Habsi, and the Bolton goalkeeper produced his third significant save when he threw himself to the ground to keep out Downing’s 64th-minute strike that arrowed through a crowded box.

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Reading's Paul McShane (left) and Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing. Picture: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Another fine stop followed moments later, with Al-Habsi tipping over Ben Gibson’s close-range header from a Downing corner, and while Boro’s momentum appeared to be unstoppable, their attacking foundered in the face of an inspired goalkeeping display.

Al-Habsi continued to provide an impenetrable barrier as he produced late saves to deny both Downing and substitute David Nugent, and Boro should probably have lost the game in stoppage time when Stephen Quinn forced the ball through to Vydra, only for the striker to sky the ball over the bar.

Three minutes later, and Forshaw was much more clinical. Nine points from nine in the space of a week, and Boro can feel the top-flight getting closer.

MATCH STATS

Goals: 1-0: Nsue (10, drilled home a rebound from the edge of the six-yard box after Al-Habsi did well to save from Rhodes)

1-1: Cox (54, chipped home the close-range rebound after Konstantopoulos spilled Taylor’s long-range strike)

2-1: Forshaw (90, drove in at the front post after Adomah deflected Clayton’s miscued shot into his path)

Bookings: Cooper (57, foul), Taylor (71, foul)

Referee: Scott Duncan (Newcastle) – Allowed quite a few debatable challenges to go unpunished, but set the same standards for both teams 6

Attendance: 23,746

Entertainment: *****

MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1):

5 Konstantopoulos: Will feel he should have done much better when he parried Taylor’s shot into Cox’s path for Reading’s goal

8 De Laet: Never stopped running as he tore up and down the right-hand side on his return to the side after a lengthy absence

7 Ayala: Has slotted back in seamlessly following his recovery from injury and made a number of important interceptions once again

7 Gibson: Made some important tackles at the heart of the back four and almost claimed a goal with a close-range header

9 FRIEND: Was the talisman for an impressive team display with a superb performance in both attack and defence down the left 

7 Leadbitter: Helped Boro establish a dominance of the central-midfield area, even if his passing wasn’t always at its best 

8 Clayton: Has been one of the best players in the Championship all season, and produced another hugely influential display

7 Nsue: Set the ball rolling with a well-taken early goal and looked perfectly comfortable playing in a more attacking role

8 Downing: Finally got a chance in his preferred number ten role and justified his promotion with one of his best displays of the season

6 Adomah: Inadvertently played a key role in Forshaw’s winner and forced Al-Habsi to produce a sensational first-half save

6 Rhodes: His team-mates still haven’t worked out how to play to his strengths, but he never stopped battling against the Reading back four

Subs:

Forshaw (for Leadbitter, 59): Hasn’t had too many chances to make a name for himself at Boro, but won’t score many more important goals that his winner 8

Ramirez (for Nsue, 67): Threatened with a couple of set-pieces, but didn’t have a lot of time to transform the game 5

Nugent (for Rhodes, 87) 

(not used): Agazzi (gk), Kalas, de Sart, de Pena.

READING (4-4-2):

AL-HABSI 9; Gunter 5 (McCleary 18, 5), McShane 5, Cooper 4, Obita 3 (Taylor 46, 7); Williams 6, Norwood 5, Piazon 6 (John 59, 5), Quinn 6; Vydra 5, Cox 8.

Subs (not used): Bond (gk), Evans, Hector, Rakels.

Man Of The Match: GEORGE FRIEND – It is easy to take the full-back’s excellence for granted, but he has cemented his reputation as one of the best players outside the Premier League with a series of displays like this one.