Middlesbrough 2-1 Reading: Matt Crooks double gives Boro victory
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Matt Crooks has now scored six goals for Middlesbrough this season
Matt Crooks scored a 95th-minute winner as in-form Middlesbrough came from behind to beat Reading and make it six wins in seven Championship games.
Former England striker Andy Carroll scored his second goal for Reading as they bounced back from a 7-0 thrashing by Fulham to take the lead.
Middlesbrough had come closest in a goalless first half with a Jonny Howson shot deflected just wide and a rebound off Reading defender Josh Laurent hit the post after Luke Southwood had saved from Andraz Sporar.
They drew level when Crooks headed past Southwood, and in added time he was left unmarked and met Isaiah Jones' cross for his second to move Chris Wilder's side up to sixth in the table.
The Royals remain 21st, just three points clear of the relegation places, and have now failed to win in their last six visits to the Riverside Stadium.
Boss Veljko Paunovic resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes after the embarrassing result against Fulham, with Andy Rinomhota coming in for Scott Dann as the only change to the starting line-up.
Boro had the better of the opening 45 minutes with recent loan signing from Brighton Aaron Connolly twice going close, but found themselves behind just before the hour when Carroll found the net with a looping header from Tom Dele-Bashiru's cross.
Reading pushed for a second and John Swift's right-foot shot forced a save from Joe Lumley, only for Marcus Tavernier to pick out Crooks, who made no mistake from his cross.
Lumley saved from Laurent as the clock ticked beyond 90 minutes, but it was Middlesbrough who came up with the winner when Crooks took his tally for the season to six goals - just four days short of a year since his last double, for Rotherham against Stoke in a 3-3 draw.
Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder told BBC Tees:
"Everybody loves a last-minute winner, especially in front of a passionate home support.
"We didn't start the second half as well as we'd have liked to, they get their goal and then they've got something to protect.
"We made positive substitutions - I've talked about the bench being strong - and I thought all three of those boys came on and gave us a bit of a lift.
"It wasn't a lucky winner, we kept knocking on the door and whatever time it comes, we accept it and we move on."
Reading midfielder Josh Laurent told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"There's no point turning up for 80 minutes and then in the last 10 just switching off, so something needs to change quick.
"We need to grow up as a team and individuals, playing more smart, being more brave, and we need to do it now before it's too late.
"There's still time to turn it around and it's a time when it's not about tactics, about who plays where, it's about showing some fight, passion and desire.
"We've got a lot of injuries, but that's not an excuse. We need the young lads in the squad to man up now, we need them as much as we need the senior lads."