Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman hailed Boro as "the best team in the Championship" - despite seeing his side snatch a 2-1 win over the Teessiders.
Boro travelled to The City Ground looking to end a dismal away record at one of their bogey grounds, having won there only once in 42 years.
They looked on course to do just that on 28 minutes after Grant Leadbitter's scooped ball towards the back post hit Michael Mancienne and nestled into the net.
But Gary Gardner's 25-yard strike pegged Aitor Karanka's side back before the break , and Dexter Blackstock turned the game on its head in the second half after he was teed up by Michail Antonio.
The defeat was Boro's third straight setback on a Saturday - but Forest manager Freedman believes the Teessiders are still among the Championship's elite.
"I'm delighted with the super-human effort that the players showed today. I'm delighted with our response from the setback against, in my opinion, the best team in this league with the strongest squad.
"To do that, I'm delighted for our players and what they've achieved this week.
"I think the game was all about concentration. If you ever want a definition of 'fighting for your lives', that's it. The last 15 minutes we had to defend for our lives.
"I hope Nottingham Forest fans understand that sometimes we aren't where we want to be right now. We can't properly mix it on and off the ball (with the division's best), but we certainly are in the business of winning games.
"I want to get a winning mentality around the place. Only then will I tweak it, and hopefully we can then mix it (with the best).
"I can't give the guys too much praise. They take on board what we're asking, as a team they work towards their goals, and they make sure they never give up.
"We are not going to win every single game but if we can respond to setbacks and things that don't go our way (like we did), then we've got more of a chance of succeeding."
The result saw Boro drop to fourth in the Championship , but Karanka's men are involved in a four-way tie at the top with Derby, Bournemouth and Watford.
Next up for Boro is a home match against play-off chasing Ipswich next weekend, before the crucial trips to Derby and Bournemouth.
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