Middlesbrough secured a dramatic 3-2 victory at Stoke City on Tuesday 13 October 2026, with Neto Borges firing home a stoppage-time winner in front of the away support.
Kim Hellberg's side twice came from behind in a five-goal thriller. Callum Brittain and Will Lankshear had both put Boro ahead, but Stoke levelled on each occasion before Borges settled the contest at the death with a close-range finish.
How the Match Unfolded
Middlesbrough made two changes from Saturday's 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Luke Ayling and Jeremy Sarmiento replacing Riley McGree and Tommy Conway.
The first half was cagey, with Boro enjoying the better of possession and half-chances. Will Lankshear had an early strike held, while Sebastian Berhalter skewed a shot wide from long range after a kick from Viktor Johansson fell to him. Amario Cozier-Duberry proved Boro's main threat from the half-hour onwards, cutting inside from the right on two occasions and forcing saves from Johansson. Aidan Morris had a half-volley held by Johansson six minutes before half-time. The teams reached the interval goalless.
The second half exploded into life within five minutes. Brittain opened the scoring with a superb curled effort into the top corner after Cozier-Duberry helped a cross on from the left. Stoke levelled in under two minutes when Junior Tchamadeu's shot from the right of the area deflected off Borges and past Radek Vitek.
Boro regained the lead on 73 minutes when Lankshear pounced on a rebound after Johansson could not hold Cozier-Duberry's strike from 20 yards. Lankshear's goal was his 10th of the season.
Stoke pulled level again five minutes before the end when Robert Bozenik capitalised after Boro failed to clear their lines. The drama continued into stoppage time, when Borges controlled brilliantly and fired in to secure victory for the Teessiders.
League Standing
The win extends Middlesbrough's unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to eight league games and keeps them in the top two. Stoke's six-match unbeaten run has ended.