Fulham failed to secure a third league win of the season after a late Cyrus Christie goal earned Middlesbrough a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Aboubakar Kamara sent the Whites in front late on in the 86^th minute with a powerful header from Ryan Sessegnon’s cross.

It took only a matter of minutes for Middlesbrough to reply with Christie scoring from a failed clearance on a Boro corner.

Slaviša Jokanović made one change to his starting XI to take on Middlesbrough with Rui Fonte starting in place of Neeskens Kebano who dropped to the bench.

Kamara returned to the match day squad on the bench with Jordan Graham missing out on a substitutes place.

Middlesbrough boss Gary Monk made two changes to the last league side he named against Queens Park Rangers the previous weekend with Patrick Bamford and Jonny Howson coming in for Stewart Downing and Grant Leadbitter

After an earlier shot in hope rather than expectation, Lewis Baker finally tested David Button in the seventh minute, but the Fulham shot-stopper tipped it over for a corner.

Fulham then broke and Christie brought down Sessegnon and was booked for the cynical challenge.

Oliver Norwood took the free-kick, which was positioned wide left of the goal and his effort dipped low and was just tipped wide by Darren Randolph.

Fulham took the corner quickly and Sessegnon’s deflected cross went just wide of the goalmouth for a throw-in.

Floyd Ayité was the next Fulham player to take a chance, the Whites countered and a quick pass from Stefan Johansen released the winger who made his way into the box, unfortunately his shot was matched by Randolph who got down low.

Kevin McDonald received a soft yellow card on 22 minutes for a foul on Britt Assombalonga who was on the turn trying to escape the Fulham skipper.

Six minutes later Sessegnon unleashed a deadly cross which Ayité flung himself at, the ball went wide but Sessegnon was also flagged offside.

The visitors then broke and Marvin Johnson went on a mazy run into the box, unleashing a shot which slipped just wide of the far post.

With ten minutes to go in the first half, Norwood found a bit of space on the edge of the box and was able to get a shot away, narrowly going over Randolph’s head and the bar.

Middlesbrough looked dangerous on the counter and Christie drove into the Fulham half and swung in a good cross, Assombalonga flicked it up with his head but Fabio’s shot was well wide on 37 minutes.

The Whites were then forced into a substitution in the 42^nd minute when Ayité went off injured, Kebano came on to take his place.

With time running out in the first half the ball was played into the feet of Fonte on the penalty spot, he turned and laid off Norwood but his shot went wide.

The first chance of the second half fell to Sessegnon, after five minutes of play Sheyi Ojo took advantage of a miss kick by Fabio and crossed it to the back post, however the left back was unable to get a meaningful shot on target.

Boro were put under more unnecessary pressure three minutes later when a sloppy pass by Ben Gibson was almost intercepted by Ojo but Randolph rushed out to boot it into the Fulham man which then went out for a goal kick.

Kebano provided some magic just after the hour mark, teasing the Boro defence with some effective trickery, however he was brought down illegally and from the subsequent free-kick, wide on the left, Norwood took aim at goal and was inches off getting his effort on target.

Middlesbrough looked to be in on goal in the 65^th minute from a dangerous counter, Assombalonga’s shot was blocked and it fell perfectly to Bamford on the edge of the box but his left-footed shot was drilled wide of the post.

The visitors were applying some serious pressure and in the 69^th minute Baker’s blocked shot fell to Johnson, who was in some space, but he scuffed his effort away from goal.

Jokanović then made a tactical change with Johansen being replaced by Kamara in the 70^th minute of the game.

After some tidy defending by Kalas in the 75^th minute, he started a counter attack which saw Fonte play Kamara in on goal, unfortunately the striker failed to keep his effort down as it went high and wide.  

Middlesbrough then took off Fabio, who was struggling with injury, and Bamford and the pair were replaced with George Friend and Ashley Fletcher.

Kamara took the lead for Fulham with a sublime header where he out-leaped the Boro defence and generated enough power to find the back of the net.

Christie then replied two minutes later when Fulham failed to clear a corner, the ball was played back into the box and the defender put it away as it fell to him.

With one minute to go Fulham used their final substitute with Ibrahima Cisse replacing Norwood in the centre of midfield, while Boro brought on Downing for Assombalonga.

In injury time Baker received the ball in the box but was closed down from close range, but before it could fall to the Boro attacker Sessegnon slid in to clear it away.

Fonte was booked in the fourth minute of added time for a foul on the edge of the box and Middlesbrough squandered the free-kick, the full time whistle was blown moments later.