Cardiff City produced a spirited first-half display before being forced to dig deep to secure a 2-2 draw against promotion-chasing Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

Jack Moylan and Ollie Tanner fired Brian Barry-Murphy's side into a commanding two-goal lead before half-time, raising hopes of a first away league victory of the season against one of the Championship's form teams.

But Middlesbrough responded emphatically after the break, with Tommy Conway and Will Lankshear scoring in quick succession to bring the hosts level.

Cardiff's task became even more difficult when Gabriel Osho was shown a straight red card late on for a rash challenge on Lankshear, leaving the visitors to withstand a barrage of pressure during the closing stages.

The Bluebirds ultimately held on for a valuable point, extending the challenge to turn their impressive home form into results on the road.

Moylan and Tanner give Cardiff a dream start

Cardiff began brightly on Teesside and had an early opportunity when Ollie Tanner delivered a dangerous cross towards Moylan, whose header drifted wide.

Middlesbrough threatened at the other end, with Ronan Kpakio caught unaware as Neto Borges rose above him to head a chance wide from close range.

The visitors gradually settled and took the lead in the 22nd minute through Moylan, who continued his excellent recent form after scoring twice in Tuesday's 5-1 demolition of Watford.

The striker collected the ball, cut inside Borges and beat Aidan Morris with a clever turn inside the penalty area before drilling a low finish past Radek Vitek at his near post.

Middlesbrough attempted to respond, with Amario Cozier-Duberry testing Nathan Trott on several occasions, while Alex Robertson produced an important block to deny the winger after the Cardiff goalkeeper had parried a dangerous cross.

Barry-Murphy was booked for his protests at a decision as the hosts searched for an equaliser, but Cardiff remained dangerous on the counter.

Moylan appealed in vain for a penalty after going down under pressure from Ashley Phillips, with the referee unmoved. On second glance, it looked a very good shout.

And the visitors struck again in first-half stoppage time with a superb counter-attacking goal.

Moylan carried the ball forward before feeding Tanner, who cut inside his marker and unleashed a stunning strike from the edge of the area into the top corner.

It was a moment of real quality from the winger and gave Cardiff a two-goal advantage at the interval.

Middlesbrough fight back after the break

The hosts made changes at half-time, introducing Will Lankshear and Sebastian Berhalter, and the impact was immediate as Middlesbrough began to turn the screw.

Cardiff struggled to retain possession and found themselves increasingly pinned back as the home side searched for a route back into the contest.

Lankshear threatened when he was sent through behind Osho, but dragged his effort wide, giving the Cardiff defence an early warning.

The pressure eventually told in the 58th minute. Conway arrived in the penalty area to meet a pull-back and finished first time to reduce the deficit, with Cardiff struggling to contain the hosts' improved attacking intensity.

Just three minutes later, Middlesbrough were level.

David Turnbull gave the ball away in midfield, allowing the hosts to break quickly. Lankshear received possession on the edge of the area and curled a precise effort around the Cardiff defenders and into the bottom corner.

Having looked in control at half-time, Cardiff suddenly faced a battle to preserve their point.

Barry-Murphy responded by introducing Will Fish for Chris Willock, with Krystian Bielik moving into midfield as the visitors attempted to regain a foothold.

Cian Ashford then produced a moment of quality, cutting inside from the left before slipping a reverse pass into Moylan. The striker found himself one-on-one with Vitek but could not get enough on his effort to restore Cardiff's lead.

Osho sent off as Cardiff hold firm

Cardiff were increasingly forced onto the defensive as Middlesbrough pushed for a winner, with Joel Bagan producing an important intervention to prevent Conway getting in behind.

Further changes followed, with Calum Scanlon replacing Kpakio and Isaak Davies coming on for Tanner as the visitors looked to freshen things up.

But the closing stages brought another setback for Cardiff when Osho was dismissed in the 83rd minute.

The defender had been involved in a physical battle with Lankshear throughout the second half and was shown a straight red card for a rash challenge on the Middlesbrough striker.

Cardiff now faced the prospect of seeing out the final minutes with 10 men against a side sitting second in the Championship and unbeaten in eight league matches heading into the afternoon.

But Barry-Murphy's side held firm through four added minutes to claim a hard-earned point.

After their emphatic victory over Watford, Cardiff will take encouragement from their first-half performance, although the way they surrendered their two-goal advantage will provide plenty for the manager to examine.

The draw also leaves the Bluebirds still searching for that elusive first away league win of the season, but a point earned against one of the Championship's in-form sides represents a result they can take something from.

Middlesbrough XI: Vitek; Brittain, Ayling (Berhalter 46), Phillips, Borges (Sarmiento 89), Malanda; Morris, McGree (Peart-Harris 79); Cozier-Duberry (Arfsten 74), Joseph (Lankshear 46), Conway.

Subs: Brynn, Byram, Barron, Castledine

Cardiff City XI: Trott; Kpakio (Scanlon 74), Bielik, Osho, Bagan; Robertson, J. Colwill (Turnbull 46), Asford; Tanner (Davies 79), Moylan, Willock (Fish 64).

Subs: Tyrer, Tankiewicz, Moreno, Holt, Perrett.