Middlesbrough were made to pay for missing a host of chances as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Rotherham.
The visitors squandered numerous opportunities and hit the woodwork twice in a frustrating afternoon in front of goal.
Rotherham took full advantage, with Cohen Bramall netting the second-half winner to end the Millers’ 11-game winless run.
Middlesbrough had won back-to-back games coming into this one and started full of confidence.
Isaiah Jones had the first effort on target but his effort from the edge of the box was easily gathered by goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
Rotherham’s Swedish international stopper was forced into a much more challenging save through Sam Greenwood’s powerful drive which he tipped over for a corner.
Middlesbrough were building their attacks patiently and another chance fell the way of Greenwood and this time the Leeds loanee rattled the crossbar from the edge of the box.
The Millers’ first real chance came when central defender Sean Morrison put in a low cross which Sam Nombe tried to turn goalwards.
Middlesbrough sprung a threatening looking counter-attack through Sam Silvera and he found Jones but again his effort was tame.
Rotherham started the second half with much more urgency but Boro carved out the best opening chance when Silvera was sent down the left by Jonny Howson. His shot across goal drifted wide.
The visiting crowd were calling for a penalty when Alex Bangura went down in the box from a tackle by Hakeem Odoffin but it was waved away by referee Andrew Kitchen.
A huge chance fell the way of Greenwood but his side-footed shot was blocked by Seb Revan.
The Millers then took the lead in fortuitous circumstances after 72 minutes with Bramall’s misplaced cross deceiving Tom Glover and flying into the top corner.
Middlesbrough pushed players forward in an attempt to level and Anfernee Dijksteel’s effort had to be charged down by Odoffin.
Boro substitute Riley McGree then saw his low effort turned onto a post by Johansson and the ball rolled away to safety.
Another replacement, Josh Coburn, had a shooting chance but again Odoffin got in the way to block.
Two former Millers almost combined to net for Boro late on with Matt Crooks heading Dan Barlaser’s corner just off target.
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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