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Boro pressed the self destruct button in stoppage time and crashed to a 3-1 home defeat to QPR.
Boro had lead through George Friend and Yossi Benayoun pegged it back and the game was fizzling out into a draw.
Then Boro keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos completely misjudged a back-pass leaving Bobby Zamora free to stroll in and score then Ravel Morrison wrapped it up.
Boro made three changes as Kei Kamara came in on the left for injured Mustapha Carayol, Dean Whitehead came in as skipper for suspended Grant Leadbitter and Jacob Butterfield replaced Lee Tomlin.
QPR went close twice after just 90 seconds. A corner was played back to the edge of the box and when Barton drilled in a stinging waist-high shot keeper Dimi Konstantopoulos first palmed it away then did well to block Carroll's close range stabbed effort from the rebound.
Boro then pressed as Kamara got down the left and crossed in to the box for Danny Graham but Hill nipped in to clear the danger before it dropped then on five minutes Jacob Butterfield fired over on the turn from 20 yards.
Then on eight minutes a surging run down the left by George Friend won a free-kick just outside the box and when Butterfield curled it to the far-post Kamara bundled it wide.
Rangers probed on 12 minutes as Keane chased a ball into the box but Friend tracked him all the way and prevented him shooting then shepherded him away.
Down at the other end Boro passed and probed along the edge of the Rangers box but failed to find a shot.
Boro went close on 14 minutes as Butterfield drilled in a waist-high 25 yard shot that keeper Green parried and the loose ball bounced just past Graham as he arrived.
Then Kamara climbed highest but just failed to connect at the back stick with a Friend cross.
But Boro stumbled through to score a scruffy opener on 18 from GEORGE FRIEND.
The left-back cut in from the flank and wriggled through three defenders, stumbled and poked a ball forward that came back generously off a defender back to his feet.
When Friend stabbed in his low eight yard shot shot keeper Green went full length but it squirmed through his hands and went spinning over the line.
On 23 minutes Carroll was booked for a foul on Kamara,
Rangers almost broke through on 26 minutes as Keane sent Krancjar into the box but as he shaped to shoot Varga arrived with a superb sliding tackle.
Boro responded with a good move as Friend got down the left to drill a ball across the face of goal but it was turned away by Hill before it could reach Adomah.
Then on the half-hour a Friend stinging shot was deflected over after a good ball in from Butterfield.
On 34 minutes Kranjcar was booked for a foul on Adomah.
Boro threatened on 40 minutes as a quick break out of defence found Butterfield who twisted and turned on the edge of the box to find space for the shot but when he finally unleashed it was blocked by Hughes.
Rangers made a foray forward on 43 minutes but Morrison's 20 yard shot was tipped over by Konstantopoulos.
But they grabbed a leveller in stoppage time as the Boro defence was pulled out of shape.
Morrison crossed for Kranjcar and when his shot was charged down it deflected kindly for YOSSI BENAYOUN to rifle in from close range.
HALF-TIME: BORO 1 QPR 1
Boro had a let off on 49 minutes as quick break down the left sent full-back Young to the byline to square into the box but it evaded three Rangers players and was hacked away.
Then on 53 minutes a good diagonal ball from Barton almost picked out Keane in the box but alert Varga stretched to cut out and clear the danger.
And on 57 minutes Rangers full-back Hughes got down the right to whip a ball in to the near post post Keane just failed to connect with it.
Boro looked laboured in their build-ups with a string of balls going astray in the middle and quick balls forward played a fraction too early with players drifting offside.
On 60 minutes Rangers put on Hoilett for Kranjcar.
Boro almost broke though on 61 minutes as Chalobah touched through to Butterfield but with options either side he blasted a shot straight at defender Hill.
On 63 minutes Boro brought on Lee Tomlin for Butterfield and Rangers replaced Keane with Zamora.
Boro threatened on 68 minutes as Tomlin burst down the right chasing a ball from Friend and although defender Hughes handled the ref waved play on.
And a minute later Tomlin again surged forward on a diagonal run from left to right across the edge of the box before his shot was charged down.
On 72 minutes Friend was booked for a foul on Benayoun.
There was a flare-up on 75 minutes as Kamara refused to give the ball back for a free-kick and there was a 10 man melee after which the Boro man plus Morrison and Barton from Rangers.
On 76 minutes Rangers put on former Boro man Gary O'Neil for Benayoun.
Boro were forced to defend in a scrappy spell but broke out and went close on 83 minutes as Adomah brought down a ball to the edge of the box neatly then skipped past his marker to fire in a low shot that was straight at Green.
Straight up the other end Rangers responded as Hoilett streaked forward to slam a low 25 yard shot straight at Konstantopoulos.
On 88 minutes Emmanuel Ledesma came on for Kamara.
Morrison sent a long range effort flying a yard wide in the first minute of stoppage time.
O'Neil was booked for a foul on Ledesma soon after and the free-kick almost squeezed to the back post before being scrambled away.
Boro almost snatched victory as a Tomlin ball was nodded back for Friend to hammer a shot just wide from 15 yards.
But Boro hit the self destruct button as they leaked two late goals.
On 94 minutes a routine ball was played back towards Konstantopoulos and the keeper came out and took a swing at an attempted clearance and missed completely leaving BOBBY ZAMORA free to stroll through and tap home.
And then on 96 minutes RAVAL MORRISON ran behind the defence to collect a diagonal cross and slammed home and angled 15 yard drive.
BORO: Konstantopoulos, Varga, Omeruo, Gibson, Friend Chalobah, Whitehead, Adomah, Kamara (Ledesma 88), Butterfield (Tomlin 63), Graham. Subs: Steele, L Williams, Main, Morris, Atkinson.
QPR: Green, Morrison, Hill (c), Carroll, Yun, Onuoha, Barton, Hughes, Kranjcar (Hoilett 60), Benayoun (O'Neil 76), Keane (Zamora 63) Subs: Murphy, Simpson, Donaldson, Petrasso
Ref: Keith Hill (Hertfordshire)
Att: 15,075 (533 away fans)
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