Middlesbrough claimed their first points of the new campaign after pulling off a lucky win over Fulham at the Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Fulham had taken a early lead through Brian McBride but a defensive howler by keeper Tony Warner allowed Middlesbrough to come back in the match thanks to a goal from debutant Mido. A late strike by Lee Cattermole looked to have done enough for Middlesbrough to come away with victory. However Fulham should have equalized through David Healy but his effort was ruled out by the linesman.

Fresh from their 2-1 success against Bolton Wanderers, Fulham looked confident of getting something from the match. Fulham started the game brightly, creating a chance in the first minute of the match itself when Hameur Bouazza curled in a delightful cross for Alexei Smertin.

But Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer was alert to the danger and punched the ball out straight to Healy whose shot was deflected out of play by Smertin. Fourth official Andy D'Urso was the first substitution of the match, replacing injured referee Lee Mason.

Fulham took the lead in the 16th minute after a slick passing move saw Smertin collect the ball from Steven Davis before sending a cross into the six-yard box. Though Healey was unable to connect to the ball, the cross found McBride unmarked and the American striker had all the time in the world to convert the chance.

However the goal came at a very high cost for Fulham as McBride dislocated his knee in the process, which could see him miss action for a long time. Boro had a great chance to equalize in the 31st minute when Tuncay Sanli found Stewart Downing, but the Englishman could not hit the target with just Warner to beat.

Fulham had to deal with a second injury when Bouazza was stretchered off with a dislocated shoulder and was replaced by Clint Dempsey. Healey saw his close range shot blocked by Schwarzer while Chris Baird made a timely interception to deny Downing at the other end.

Boro finally equalized in the 55th minute thanks to a howler from Warner. Mido collected the ball from Arca near the edge of the area and hit a weak shot towards Warner. Though it should have been a simple save for Warner, the Fulham keeper deflected the ball into his own net.

Substitute Diomansy Kamara put the ball into the net for Fulham in the 60th minute, but his effort was ruled out by the referee after Dempsey had fouled on Andrew Davies. Boro had the taste of the same medicine when Jeremie Aliadiere scored or Boro, but again his effort was ruled out for fouling Paul Konchesky.

Boro finally took the lead in the 88th minute when Cattermole was set up delightfully by Aliadiere and the striker made no mistake with his first-time shot. Fulham should have had equalized in the injury time when Healy's effort was not saved in time by Schwarzer, but the linesman ruled that the ball had not crossed over the line even though TV replays showed otherwise.

Fulham next play Aston Villa on Saturday while Middlesbrough face a tough match against Newcastle United. Watch live football here on -free-football.tv.