Swansea City missed the opportunity to reclaim top spot in the Championship after conceding twice in stoppage time in a dramatic 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth, while Birmingham City moved into second place with an impressive victory over Millwall.
Swansea appeared to have rescued a valuable point at Fratton Park when Championship leading scorer Zan Vipotnik cancelled out Terry Devlin's opener with just five minutes of normal time remaining.
However, Portsmouth produced a remarkable late surge to secure all three points.
Devlin struck again in stoppage time to restore Pompey's advantage before Tommy Waddingham sealed the victory with a goal in the 98th minute.
The result left Middlesbrough at the top of the Championship standings ahead of their trip to Wrexham on Wednesday, with Swansea missing a crucial opportunity to strengthen their promotion ambitions.
Birmingham City capitalised on Swansea's defeat with a commanding 3-0 victory over Millwall, moving into second place in the Championship table.
The Blues delivered a clinical first-half performance, with Alex Cochrane, Max Bird and Jay Stansfield all finding the net before the interval.
Birmingham's dominant display ensured they maintained their unbeaten home record, extending their impressive start at their own ground to seven matches.
The victory further strengthened Birmingham's position in the promotion race as they continued their push towards the Premier League.
Southampton's pursuit of promotion suffered another setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by West Bromwich Albion.
Despite beginning the campaign with a four-point deduction following last season's spygate controversy, Southampton have remained firmly in contention for promotion.
West Brom took the lead through an Isaac Price penalty in the first half, putting the hosts in control.
However, Sam Edozie responded for Southampton to secure a point and prevent another damaging defeat.
The result left both clubs occupying Championship play-off positions as the battle for promotion continued to intensify.
Elsewhere, Stoke City climbed to third place after securing an important 2-1 away victory against Blackburn Rovers.
Away from the Championship promotion battle, West Ham United confirmed the dismissal of manager Nuno Espírito Santo earlier on Tuesday.
Former West Ham midfielder Scott Parker has emerged as a leading candidate to take charge at the London Stadium.
Parker could reportedly be appointed before the Hammers' scheduled meeting with Cardiff on Wednesday.
With Middlesbrough leading the standings, Birmingham moving into second and Stoke climbing to third, the latest Championship results have added further intrigue to an increasingly competitive promotion race.
Swansea, meanwhile, will be left frustrated after surrendering a potentially valuable result in the closing stages against Portsmouth.
