Haroun completes fightback and Boro leapfrog Cardiff

Cardiff City 2 Middlesbrough 3

Faris Haroun celebrates scoring (Getty Images)

Cardiff City must be sick of the sight of Tony Mowbray's Middlesbrough, after Faris Haroun completed an excellent second-half fightback.

Last May the Teessiders effectively ended Cardiff's automatic promotion hopes with a three-goal salvo in 22 minutes. Yesterday they took maximum points after trailing 2-1, courtesy of Haroun's 76th-minute winner.

Mowbray said: "I'm delighted we're going back with the points again. The quality we have in the dressing room is evident and we have only lost three games out of 21 this season. We knew we had to match Cardiff's drive and stand our corner, but I felt we were going to score in the second half and thankfully we did."

A superb finish from Haroun – neat control with the chest of Julio Arca's floated pass before tucking the ball past David Marshall – sent Boro above Cardiff into third position and ended the Bluebirds' nine-match unbeaten run in an excellent advert for the division.

But despite moving to within two points of the leaders, Southampton, who face Portsmouth today, Mowbray remained cautious about his side's chances of reaching the Premier League. He said: "We've been in the top four for most of the season, but we're not looking too seriously at the top of the table – there are a lot of games to go yet. And we know we have to get our home form right. We have won more games on our travels than we have in front of our own stadium. That's got to change."

Middlesbrough trailed 2-1 at the interval after Bart Ogbeche, in for Marvin Emnes, who is suffering from a hamstring injury, scored his first goal for the club. But the Nigerian striker's effort was followed by goals from Ben Turner and Aron Gunnarsson.

The towering centre-back Turner nodded home his first goal for Cardiff since his move from Coventry before an audacious piece of skill from Kenny Miller released Gunnarsson, who beat the Boro keeper, Jason Steele.

Scott McDonald levelled just after the hour before the midfielder Haroun sealed an important victory over their promotion-chasing rivals.

Cardiff's manager, Malky Mackay, said: "It was a tough test against a team who were in the Premier League just two years ago, but we are really disappointed because we knew we could have won the game.

"We went behind but we bounced back well with two good goals. But the goals weconceded in the second half were poor. We didn't pick up runners and track our men, and if you don't do that at this level, then you will get punished."

Cardiff (4-5-1): Marshall; McNaughton, Hudson, Turner, Taylor; Cowie (Gestede, 68), Gunnarsson, Whittingham, Ralls (Kiss, 32), Conway (Mason, 68); Miller.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Steele; Hoyte, Bates, Williams, Bennett; Haroun, Bailey, Robson, Arca; McDonald, Ogbeche.

Referee Graham Salisbury.

Man of the match Robson (Middlesbrough).

Match rating 8/10.