Middlesbrough took full advantage of Brighton & Hove Albion's 2-2 draw at Queens Park Rangers this evening by recording a 1-0 win over Burnley to move to the top of the Championship.
Emilio Nsue was the hero for Boro at the Riverside, with his 54th-minute strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.
The home side dominated large parts of the opening 45 minutes on Teeside, yet they found clear goalscoring openings hard to come by.
In contrast, while the visiting Clarets were forced to do plenty of defending, it was they that carved out the best chance of the half in the 37th minute. George Boyd's low shot was goalbound, but Boro goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos was equal to it.
The match-winning moment came nine minutes after the restart courtesy of 26-year-old midfielder Nsue, who marked his 50th appearance in a Boro shirt by turning the ball in from close range to score his second goal of the campaign.
Stewart Downing spurned two chances to make the points safe as the encounter ticked towards full time, yet the winger's failings did not prove to be important as Aitor Karanka's men held out.
While Boro have jumped to the summit on goal difference, Sean Dyche's Burnley remain in fifth position.
Liam Apicella
