Durham sensationally gave themselves the chance of making it three wins out of three in the LV= County Championship after Chris Rushworth and John Hastings shared 10 wickets as they skittled Middlesex for 89 in the second innings of their match at Lord's.
Rushworth took 5-38, including the first four wickets to fall, and Australian Hastings finished with 5-24 after Middlesex, who had taken a first-innings lead of 169, elected not to enforce the follow-on.
With Tim Murtagh struggling with a hamstring injury that has ruled him out of Ireland's one-day international against England on Friday, the decision to give their bowlers more time to rest looked sound.
Instead, Middlesex were indebted to Murtagh's cameo with the bat as he swiped an unbeaten 22 batting with a runner in a last-wicket stand of 39 with Steven Finn that only partly rescued their side from the ruins of 50 for nine.
It left Durham needing 269 to win and they made a bad start when Keaton Jennings, who had been dismissed for 98 in the first innings, was caught at midwicket for a duck off James Harris.
Mark Stoneman followed in the seventh over, half-forward to Harris and caught at slip, to become the 18th victim of a remarkable day and Durham had reached 24 for two when bad light ended play. They need a further 245 to win.
Rushworth has now taken 48 wickets in his last six Championship games stretching back to the end of last season and his new-ball burst from the Pavilion End was that of a master craftsman making the most of ideal conditions.
Sunshine had been replaced by cloud and with the ball seaming on as dry surface the 28-year-old made hay, ripping out Middlesex's top order in the space of 17 deliveries.
Rushworth had Nick Gubbins lbw offering no shot before picking up two wickets in his third over. Nick Compton's sliced drive was brilliantly caught in the gully by the diving Callum MacLeod and skipper Adam Voges was trapped in front playing across the line two balls later.
Sam Robson, who made 178 in the first innings, became Rushworth's fourth victim, beaten by late inswing for 17, before Hastings made a telling contribution of his own.
The Australian had James Franklin caught behind with his third ball and then claimed two wickets in his second over as John Simpson was taken low down at third slip before Ollie Rayner lost his off stump playing no shot.
Middlesex had lost six wickets for 15 runs at that stage and although Neil Dexter and Harris got through to tea they were parted in the second over after the resumption when Paul Collingwood held on at slip off a thick edge from Dexter to give Hastings his fourth wicket.
Rushworth completed his five-for and claimed his 21st wicket of the season as Harris, aiming through leg, was caught in the gully off a leading edge.
Murtagh hobbled out with Simpson as his runner and went on the offensive while Finn played his part to frustrate Durham for six overs until Hastings switched to the Pavilion End and pinned Finn with the second ball of his new spell.
Earlier, Jennings had just missed out on a century when his patient five-hour vigil ended on 98, caught at slip to become the first of two victims for Voges' left-arm spin.
Harris mopped up the tail to finish with 4-69 as Durham lost their last six first-innings wickets for 75.