Middlesbrough issued a warning to the entire Championship on Friday night, thrashing Bolton Wanderers 5-1 to go top of the table — and the performance had even rival pundits calling them the “best team in the Championship.”
Championship top scorer Will Lankshear struck twice, taking his tally to 11 goals in 12 league games this season to cement his status as the division’s leading marksman. But the underlying numbers told the story of a complete team display: 31 shots at goal (19 in the first half alone), 12 on target, and a whopping 4.16 expected goals (xG) under manager Kim Hellberg.
Middlesbrough 5-1 Bolton: Lankshear Leads the Promotion Charge
“Middlesbrough were exceptional tonight, and if that is the bar in this league then they will finish in the top two,” former Bolton manager Keith Hill told BBC Radio Manchester. “I think the Bolton staff, players and fans know they’ve been beaten by the best team in the Championship.” Hill, covering the game as a pundit, refused to criticize Steven Schumacher’s beaten Bolton side, instead calling Boro “special” and saying they “worked like soldiers.”
Former Middlesbrough midfielder Neil Maddison went further, calling it “without question, the best performance under Kim Hellberg” on BBC Radio Tees. “If you take away the Bolton goal at the end of the first half, that was a five-star performance, without a shadow of doubt.” Bolton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu deserved sympathy — only a string of fine saves kept the scoreline from being far worse.
Can Boro Avoid Last Season’s Collapse?
The result leaves Boro on 25 points from 12 games — the exact same tally they had at this stage last season. The cautionary tale is fresh: last term they were top in early February after six straight wins, then won just four of their final 15 games to finish fifth, eventually losing to Hull in the play-off final (only after being reinstated when Southampton were expelled for spying).
The difference this time may be the sheer weight of the attacking display. Friday night’s 4.16 xG was a statement — and with Lankshear firing on all cylinders, the rest of the division has been officially put on notice.
Will Lankshear (Credits: BBC Sport)
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
