Middlesbrough climbed to the top of the Championship with a commanding 5-1 victory away to Bolton Wanderers on Friday night. The result at the Toughsheet Community Stadium extended their unbeaten run to five matches and sent them two points clear at the summit. This latest win, which ended Bolton 1-5 Middlesbrough on Friday 23 October, confirms their third-place league standing with 22 points from 11 games, comprising six wins, four draws and one loss.
Aidan Morris opened the scoring after 13 minutes, finishing from Amario Cozier-Duberry's pass. Will Lankshear doubled the lead just past the half-hour mark, and the advantage grew further when Bolton defender Lewis Brunt turned Adilson Malanda's corner into his own net. Thelonius Bair pulled one back for the hosts in first-half stoppage time, but any hope of a comeback was extinguished after the break.
Amario Cozier-Duberry restored the three-goal cushion in the 73rd minute, set up by Riley McGree. Lankshear then completed his brace five minutes later, again assisted by McGree, to seal a comprehensive win. The double took Lankshear's league goal tally for the season to 11, and he is the club's top scorer with nine goals in 11 Championship appearances this term.
Manager Kim Hellberg's side dominated the match, enjoying 61% possession and registering 31 shots to Bolton's 12. The performance underlined their promotion credentials, moving them to 22 points from 11 games. Their recent form of three wins and two draws in the last five matches, which includes a 2-2 draw with Cardiff on Saturday 17 October and a 3-2 win at Stoke City on Tuesday 13 October, has seen them score 22 goals and concede 16 this season for a positive goal difference of six. They are now just one point behind the league leaders Swansea.
This emphatic win follows a strong run of form, with three wins and two draws in their last five outings. They now turn their attention to a home fixture against Charlton Athletic next Saturday. Charlton currently sit 17th in the table. The match on Saturday 31 October presents an opportunity for Middlesbrough to build on their unbeaten streak.
