Frenchman Jeremie Aliadiere claimed the honours as Middlesbrough recorded a nerve-jangling win over struggling Fulham at the Riverside.
Middlesbrough leap-frogged north-east rivals Newcastle in the quest for safety thanks to Aliadiere's 11th minute strike.
Boro boss Gareth Southgate was delighted as his team stretched their unbeaten run to seven games.
And no doubt he hopes that Brazilian striker Afonso Alves will score the goals that will take Boro into the top half of the table.
Alves didn't manage a shot on target after a 33 minute second-half cameo appearance and he obviously lacks match fitness.
His pedigree of eight Brazil caps and 45 goals in 39 games for his previous club Heerenveen will no doubt shine through.
For the time being, however, Boro will have to look to Aliadiere for his pace and guile to open up opposition defences.
The former Arsenal man was in sparkling form after scoring his third goal of the season when he drilled the ball through Antti Niemi's legs.
It was a goal beautifully set up by Dong-Gook Lee's flick header which allowed Gary O'Neil to play in Aliadiere with a slick pass.
And he might have had two more goals to his credit in a lively first-half display if he had shown more composure in front of goal instead of firing the ball straight at Niemi.
It was easy to see why Fulham have yet to win away from Craven Cottage and why they have scored only seven goals on their travels.
Despite stacks of possession and the inspirational Danny Murphy, they rarely tested Mark Schwarzer in the Boro goal.
Indeed it was Schwarzer himself who set the nerves jangling when he made heavy work of dealing with a strike from Leon Andreasen which he scrambled around the post.
Fulham introduced the willing Brian McBride and robust Clint Dempsey in the second half to try and find an equaliser, but even with the Boro on tenterhooks they couldn't succeed.
It was left to Boro's O'Neil to miss a late chance which would have settled everyone's nerves.
Boro's inventive play was clear throughout but Fulham who rarely picked up on the ability of central defender Robert Huth at set-piece plays.
In the first minute he stooped to send a header just wide from Stewart Downing's corner and twice more Fulham failed to pick him up but he headed over.
Boro's domination of the first half was punctuated by Andreasen's strike and a shot from Erik Nevland which blazed over the bar.