Middlesbrough 3-1 Stoke City: Matt Crooks' double helps Boro take their play-off chase down to the final day
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Matt Crooks' double took his season goal tally to 11
Middlesbrough kept their Championship play-off hopes alive with a comfortable victory over Stoke at the Riverside.
The hosts needed a win to maintain their hopes of climbing back into the play-off places going into the final round of matches.
Two goals in three first-half minutes, first from Matt Crooks and then a Lewis Baker own goal, set them on their way.
Crooks poked home a second before Nick Powell's late consolation to leave Boro seventh and within two points of Sheffield United and Luton.
Middlesbrough's chances of making the top six looked slim after a winless five-match run, but they came through must-win matches with Cardiff and Stoke to remain in the hunt.
Luton would be out of reach if they beat top side Fulham in their game in hand on Monday, but Chris Wilder's men could still leapfrog Sheffield United on the final day.
The hosts went ahead against the run of play when Crooks' deflected shot beat goalkeeper Josef Bursik.
The Potters keeper was soon beaten again when Jonny Howson's free-kick was diverted past him by Stoke midfielder Lewis Baker, and Duncan Watmore was denied a third when his close-range finish was ruled out by an offside flag.
The hosts remained on top after the break and wrapped up the win with 20 minutes left when Dael Fry headed Marcus Tavernier's corner back across goal and Crooks lunged to poke in his second.
Stoke arrived in good form, with five wins in seven and bidding for a third straight away victory, but Powell's goal with virtually the last kick of the game was pure consolation as they drop to 13th.
Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder told BBC Radio Tees:
"The players put in an outstanding performance. The pressure was on yet again against talented players and a team that are in really good nick. I thought the play was really good. We were brave in possession and we defended fantastically well. I would have taken any sort of win so I'm delighted in the way that it came.
"We were dead and buried at half-time at Swansea last week and we've come storming back. A great second-half performance at Swansea and obviously two big, big results."
Stoke City assistant manager Dean Holden told BBC Radio Stoke:
"It was a disappointing afternoon for us after we've been so good in recent weeks. We didn't expect it, certainly not that first-half performance when we didn't really play with any edge. We created four big chances, but we were nowhere near as clinical as in recent weeks and certainly in the first half it was a tough watch.
"We had decent, controlled possession but without any real edge to it and then you concede the first goal and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb and it just wasn't anywhere near good enough."