Will Lankshear hits Championship double figures as Middlesbrough thrash Bolton Wanderers 5-1 to move top of the table
Middlesbrough striker Will Lankshear bagged a brace to become the first Championship player to reach double figures this season as the Teessiders dismantled Bolton Wanderers 5-1 on Friday. Kim Hellberg's free-scoring visitors produced a dominant display at the Toughsheet Community Stadium to climb to the summit of the second tier.
Prolific striker spearheads away rout
Lankshear, a £10 million summer signing, moved onto 11 league goals in 12 games and 13 across all competitions as Boro swept aside a Bolton outfit that had taken 10 points from their previous five matches, including a win at Wolves. Former Wanderers winger Amario Cozier-Duberry recorded a goal and an assist after Aidan Morris opened the scoring. Meanwhile, Lewis Brunt turned into his own net before Theo Bair replied.
Relentless visitors dominate opening period
Boro registered 20 first-half shots, a Championship record this term, and broke the deadlock in the 13th minute just 26 seconds after Radek Vitek held a weak Ruben Rodrigues effort. Attacking down the left before switching play to the right, Cozier-Duberry, who helped the Trotters win promotion from League One last season, crossed for Morris to convert from five yards.
Vitek then parried a 20-yard Rodrigues drive and Republic of Ireland international Gavin Bazunu denied both Cozier-Duberry and Lankshear before Tommy Conway squared for Lankshear to tap home in the 31st minute. Eight minutes later, Sebastian Berhalter delivered a corner that was wrongly awarded after coming off Conway, allowing Adilson Malanda's header to deflect in off Brunt.
Speaking to BBC Radio Tees, Middlesbrough manager Hellberg said: "I'm very happy with the performance. We are an offensive team and we like to believe in ourselves. Give credit to Bolton and they were also trying to play and be aggressive and take control of the game, which I like.
"Then the games can be open and for people watching, this is why football can be back and forth and we scored some absolutely brilliant goals."
Clinical finishing seals emphatic triumph
Although Gaizka Larrazabal teed up Bair to pull one back in the second minute of first-half stoppage time and Bazunu thwarted Lankshear again after the interval, the visitors remained firmly in control. Cozier-Duberry lashed into the roof of the net with his weaker right foot in the 73rd minute before Lankshear completed a swift counter-attack from close range.
Reflecting on the display, Hellberg added: "I'm very happy with the win and how we played. I think the players did so good, and that was absolutely brilliant from them. With the goals, I think there was a beauty in terms of how we played and how good we were around the box and how many chances we created. And we created some high-level chances. So many people contributed, including five from the bench, which also is a very positive thing, and just enjoying all that in front of our away fans. Unbelievable."
Defensive frailties require urgent attention
While Boro's attacking quality has propelled the 21-year-old talisman and his team-mates to the top of the standings amid Storm Austen, tightening up at the back remains vital for their Premier League promotion push. Conceding before half-time meant the Teessiders have now shipped 17 league goals this campaign while keeping just two clean sheets. Meanwhile, well-beaten Bolton must quickly regroup to rediscover their recent momentum following Friday's heavy setback.
