A goal from the Sky Bet Championship’s leading marksman Aleksandar Mitrovic edged a tight contest in Fulham’s favour to Boro’s run of home league victories.
Chris Wilder freshened things up in the Boro ranks with four changes from the weekend’s win at Peterborough United. Isaiah Jones missed out with illness, the experienced duo of Lee Peltier and Neil Taylor called into the XI as Marc Bola also dropped to the bench. The other two swaps were up top, with Andraz Sporar making his first start in almost a month, alongside Duncan Watmore who had delivered an impressive cameo with a goal and an assist at London Road.
The table-topping visitors issued an early warning shot when Harrison Reed flashed a ball across Boro’s goal inside the first two minutes, but thankfully for the home side there was no white shirt waiting to capitalise.
There was another let-off when Dael Fry prodded a stray pass straight to Mitrovic, but the Serbian was unusually profligate as he sent a tame effort rolling wide.
With a little over fifteen minutes played, Anfernee Dijksteel was required to make a first-class intervention as Fabio Carvalho looked to latch onto Bobby Decordova-Reid’s knock-down, the Dutch defender stepping across to steal away possession and clear the danger.
Boro were defending well, but our best chances of a cagey first period were when Duncan Watmore and Jonny Howson each sent long-range efforts towards Marek Rodak’s goal, neither enough to properly test the Cottagers goalkeeper.
Those remained the highlights until, with a little over five minutes of the first half remaining, Marcus Tavernier whipped in a cross from the left which Matt Crooks met cleanly and with power - but for a glance off a Fulham boot it looked goal bound, instead it whistled over the top.
The visitors went close again shortly into the second half when Kenny Tete sent a low ball skidding in which Decordova-Reid could only poke wide at the back post.
The rain began to lash down, combined with swirling winds, then Fulham struck - Mitrovic making no mistake this time as he escaped Boro’s attentions from a free-kick and powered a header beyond Joe Lumley.
Refusing to go down without a fight, Boro introduced Marc Bola and Riley McGree, and had a series of chances to level things up.
Andraz Sporar saw a glancing header drop agonisingly wide, as did another sub Josh Coburn who went closer still with a flicked header that flashed just the wrong side of the post.
Then in the dying moments, a cross squirmed the way of Watmore, who lashed at it but with too much power, sending it over the top of Rodak’s goal.