Middlesbrough 1-2 Blackpool: Marvin Ekpiteta and a Grant Hall own goal see Tangerines claim victory over Boro
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Marcus Tavernier put Middlesbrough ahead against Blackpool with his first goal of the season
Blackpool came from a goal down to win for only the second time this season in an entertaining game against Middlesbrough.
Marcus Tavernier put Boro into the lead early on from close range before he teed up Andraz Sporar, who hit the bar.
Blackpool also struck the woodwork after the break through Shayne Lavery before Marvin Ekpiteta rifled them level.
Grant Hall then turned a corner into his own net with 12 minutes to go and, although Martin Payero cracked the underside of the bar for Boro, the Tangerines climbed out of the bottom three with just their second win in 43 Championship away games.
After securing only their first win in four games against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, Neil Warnock's Boro capitalized on a bright start when a James Lea Siliki cross caused problems in the Blackpool box and Dael Fry squared for Tavernier to tap in his first goal of the season.
Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules wasted a chance for Blackpool to equalise, lifting his effort over the bar from inside the box, before the home side almost doubled their lead when Sporar swept a Tavernier pass on to the crossbar.
It was the visitors' turn to hit the frame of the goal early in the second half as Lavery jabbed an effort against the foot of the post following a scramble from a Luke Garber corner.
Boro right-back Anfernee Dijksteel was forced off not long after and without a like-for-like replacement on the bench, the enforced reshuffle at the back encouraged Blackpool.
They did not have to wait long for an equaliser as centre-back Ekpiteta conjured a striker's finish, controlling another Garber corner with his back to goal before spinning and lashing the ball past Joe Lumley.
Blackpool goalkeeper Chris Maxwell then denied Sporar before another Garber corner caused havoc at the near post with Hall getting the crucial touch past his own keeper to put the Tangerines in front.
Neil Critchley's side, whose only other win was against promotion-favourites Fulham, endured a nervy finish when Payero saw his cracking effort from the edge of the box rebound back off the underside of the bar, but the visitors held on to secure their second win over Boro this season following their 3-0 victory in the EFL Cup in August.
Middlesbrough manager Neil Warnock told BBC Tees:
"It's disappointing. I thought we played some great football at times and then to concede two goals like that.
"You can look at Dijksteel's injury - we hadn't got anyone else to come on at right back and it changed the game really but we should still defend better than that.
"I think a second goal would've killed them but you've still got to play to the end.
"We just have to get on now - we've got a full week now and we've got to lick our wounds and get on."
Blackpool manager Neil Critchley:
"Two wins in three has been a good week. I thought we were fantastic today.
"To be 1-0 down early, against a strong team like Middlesbrough, with the crowd behind them, we could have gone under but we didn't. We tried to take the game to them, which is difficult.
"It was (an) unexpected goal from Marvin. I have told him he is playing up front next week. We took a short free-kick, it worked out well and I didn't know what they were doing. He showed strength, swivelled on a sixpence and finished well.
"We can take great heart from coming to Middlesbrough and winning and beating Fulham at home last week. We can be competitive in this division."