Middlesbrough thrash Bolton 5-1 to go top of Championship
Will Lankshear scores twice as Middlesbrough hit five past Bolton to move top of the Championship, with pundits calling it the best team display in the division.
Middlesbrough moved to the top of the Championship with a commanding 5-1 win at Bolton Wanderers on Friday night, a result that sent a clear signal to their promotion rivals. Will Lankshear, the division's leading scorer, struck twice to take his league tally to 11 goals in 12 games and 13 in all competitions since his £10m summer move from Tottenham.
The scoreline understated Boro's dominance. Kim Hellberg's side registered 31 shots, 19 of them in the first half, with 12 on target and 4.16 expected goals. Bolton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made a string of saves to keep the margin from growing, while Boro's attacking width came from wingers Tommy Conway and Amario Cozier-Duberry.
The result leaves Middlesbrough on 25 points after 12 games, the same total they had at this stage last season. That campaign saw them top the table in early February before a poor run of four wins in their final 15 league games dropped them to fifth, followed by a play-off final defeat to Hull after Southampton's expulsion for spying.
Former Bolton manager Keith Hill, commentating for BBC Radio Manchester, chose to praise the visitors rather than criticise Steven Schumacher's side, describing Boro's creative players as gifted and calling the team exceptional. He added that if this is the standard in the league, Middlesbrough will finish in the top two, and said Bolton's staff, players and fans knew they had been beaten by the Championship's best team.
Former Middlesbrough midfielder Neil Maddison told BBC Radio Tees it was a five-star performance apart from Bolton's goal at the end of the first half, calling it a mature display and the best under Hellberg. He singled out Lankshear's movement as ridiculously good. Lankshear himself said he could have scored around 10 and credited his team-mates, while Hellberg praised the beauty of his side's play and the contribution of his substitutes in front of the travelling fans.
Image: Shutterstock / BBC Sport
