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An 85th-minute winner from Ryan Shawcross earned Stoke City a crucial 1-0 win against fellow relegation contenders Middlesbrough.

The defender rose unchallenged to head home a long throw from Rory Delap for the decisive goal at the Britannia Stadium.

The result moves Stoke out of the relegation zone, while plunging Gareth Southgate's Boro side into even deeper trouble.

The visitors struggled to deal with Delap's long throws all match. Stoke could easily have taken the lead as early as the sixth minute after a typical delivery from the Irishman.

Delap's looping misssile from the left was initially headed out, but Salif Diao returned the clearance into the six-yard box, where James Beattie was lurking to stab the ball goalwards from point-blank range. But Boro's keeper Brad Jones made a vital reaction save to turn the ball behind for a corner.

From there on in, however, Boro dominated possession for the remainder of the first-half. They created their first clear opening 13 minutes in when Stewart Downing delivered a peach of a cross from the left on to the head of full-back Tony McMahon, who burst into the box to head powerfully on target - but straight at Thomas Sorensen, who saved with ease.

Moments later, Tuncay Sanli then over-ran the ball when through on goal. The Turk again went close just after the half-hour mark, when he curled a powerful effort just over the crossbar from outside the Stoke box on the left.

And Robert Huth made a mess of a good opening on the stroke of half-time when he completely missed the ball when he was well-placed to head home a Downing free-kick at the far post.

Possession was more evenly shared in the second-half, but Stoke still rode their luck to stay level. They were grateful to their keeper Sorensen for turning a powerful Gary O'Neil shot round the post on 57 minutes.

But Boro were again warned about the threat of Delap's throws on 61 minutes. The ball was hurled in from the left and knocked down for Beattie, who somehow shot over from just a few yards out.

Tuncay again came close after a marauding run and shot on the 64th minute, but Boro lacked a cutting edge.

Beattie was having similar shooting problems at the other end, as he headed over the bar after being teed up beautifully by Liam Lawrence after 70 minutes.

But Shawcross showed Beattie how to do with his crucial late header, which sent the home faithful into delirium.

Boro felt aggrieved to have a late penalty appeal turned down when Beattie appeared to trip Tuncay in the home side's box. But substitute Afonso Alves summed up Boro's problems when he just failed to get on to a dangerous Downing cross from the right.

Any sort of a touch would surely have earned the visitors a share of the spoils, but as it is they sink four points from safety, while Stoke climb to 16th.

Ben Phillips / Eurosport