Steve Cooper admitted Forest were their own worst enemy as they gifted Middlesbrough the points in the battle of the Championship's upwardly-mobile promotion hopefuls.
Ryan Yates chipped in with an embarrassing 11th-hour contender for comedy own goal of the year before goalkeeper Brice Samba joined in with the ineptitude to help smooth Boro's passage into the top six thanks to a fourth win in seven games since Chris Wilder took charge last month.
It meant Forest, who looked doomed to a grim battle for survival after collecting a point from their first seven games, missed a chance themselves to climb into the play-off places after a first defeat in 10 games under Cooper.