LEEDS United moved back into a Championship play-off position for the first time since September with a 2-1 win against ten-man Middlesbrough at a rocking Elland Road.

But they will need to improve if they are to push for automatic promotion after a scratchy display in front of a 30,000-plus crowd.

The game never matched the atmosphere and the Whites were once again grateful that man-of-the moment Ross McCormack was on the mark.

The Scotland international broke the deadlock on 35 minutes when the Boro defence failed to cut out Tom Lees’ looping back-post header and McCormack gobbled up his 13th goal of the season.

It was a fitting reward for McCormack, who had run the visitors’ defence a real dance in the first half, showing why Boro bid for him three times in August.

It got worse for the Teessiders when ’keeper Jason Steele was red-carded after rushing out of his area and flattening Dexter Blackstock. What should have been plain sailing proved anything but as Leeds struggled in the second period.

Mustapha Carayol equalised seven minutes into the second half after a great run and cross by the excellent Albert Adomah, but the visitors’ aerial weakness at the far post was exposed again when Jason Pearce headed the winner five minutes later.

Rather than build on their advantage, United took a conservative approach and were content to keep their opponents at arm’s length rather than push hard for a third goal.