Alex Gilbert scored shortly after coming on as a late substitute
Alex Gilbert's goal in the final seconds gave Championship promotion chasers Middlesbrough a dramatic victory at Hull City.
With Boro seemingly heading for a fourth consecutive draw, Delano Burgzorg raced down the left and teed up fellow substitute Gilbert, who netted from close range.
Hayden Hackney almost broke the deadlock when he fired against the Hull post in the second half.
Finn Azaz and Burgzorg also went close for Michael Carrick's side before they eventually broke the deadlock.
Gilbert's goal left Boro fifth rather than seventh in the table - and was a major blow for Hull, who remain in the bottom three despite showing signs of improvement since the recent arrival of boss Ruben Selles.
Boro had a couple of chances during an otherwise uneventful first half.
One was gifted to them when Hull were caught out while trying to play out from the back, but after Alfie Jones was closed down by Isaiah Jones, Azaz fired over the bar.
Hull keeper Ivor Pandur then produced a fine save to tip over Riley McGree's strike from near the edge of the penalty area.
Hull defended well and rode their luck at times, but Boro found a winner
Boro dominated possession after the interval and had Hull pinned back, but City defended well and Pandur easily gathered Hackney's speculative attempt from distance.
That prompted Boro boss Carrick to make a triple substitution, sending Ben Doak on along with Neto Borges and Burgzorg.
His team immediately looked much more dangerous, with Hackney shooting against the woodwork and Pandur having to dive to keep out strikes from Burgzorg and Azaz.
But it was a later substitution by Carrick that made the difference.
He replaced Azaz with Gilbert, who made himself a hero with his tidy finish.
'A little bit of heartbreak' - reaction
Hull City boss Ruben Selles told BBC Radio Humberside:
"That [goal] being in the last seconds is hard to take. It hurts because if you cannot win it - and sometimes it happens like that - then you don't lose it at the very end.
"It was a game that didn't look like it was going to be for us, but we need to learn to at least get that point at the very end.
"Middlesbrough are a good team, they are powerful, and the players on the pitch were doing a good job and then the substitutions made them better.
"We needed to put in a lot of effort and we probably need to know how to navigate those moments.
"The goal that late, with the amount of effort everyone put in, it's a little bit of heartbreak."
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees:
"Those [late goals] are the ones where you get that instant emotion that pours out of you in those situations - it's why we love the game.
"The players have been giving everything, we kept going until the end, and it was a fantastic day for us. We need to use it as a bit of a springboard.
"You can see how much it means to the boys, how we're together. The spirit gets us through in the end.
"I thought we deserved it. In the end it came and we can enjoy that one, that's for certain.
"I honestly didn't give up. It was a fantastic way to finish the game."
