A solid home win was followed by a disappointing - albeit unlucky - defeat on the road for Vertu Motors-backed Middlesbrough in the festive round of fixtures in the EFL Championship.
Having beaten Port Vale to set-up a semi-final date with Chelsea in the EFL Cup, Boro returned to league action with a home game against promotion chasing West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside.
Michael Carrick s side were on the front-foot from the start but suffered a scare when Kyle Bartley fired against the woodwork as WBA started to grow into the game.
However, Morgan Rogers then fired home a cross from Lukas Engel to give Boro a lead they would hold to the finish, scoring the three points to move closer to the play-off positions.
Boxing Day provided Boro with the chance to chase more points away at Rotherham but the game would end in disappointing fashion as the league s bottom side managed to grab the points.
Middlesbrough dominated the games in terms of both possession and shots, but a mis-hit cross from Cohen Bramall that caught out keeper Tom Glover proved to be decisive.
That goal came just after Boro felt they should have had a penalty for a foul on Alex Bangura, leaving boss Carrick angered at the final whistle as his side slipped to 14th in the points.
However, the play-off places are just three points away as Middlesbrough prepare to visit Huddersfield Town in the final game of 2023.