Middlesbrough Beat Bolton 5-1 to Go Top of the Championship as Lankshear Scores Twice
Will Lankshear scored twice at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Friday night as Middlesbrough won 5-1 at Bolton Wanderers and moved two points clear at the top of the Championship.
Key points
- Middlesbrough moved two points clear at the top of the Championship on Friday night with a 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
- Aidan Morris opened the scoring in the 13th minute, settling Middlesbrough early and quieting the home crowd.
- Bolton needed the first goal of the second half to make a contest of it, and it never came.
Middlesbrough moved two points clear at the top of the Championship on Friday night with a 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. The visitors scored three times in the first 39 minutes on Matchday 12 and held control of the game from there, even after Bolton pulled a goal back before half time. It was a complete away performance, built on a fast start and finished with two late goals.
Three goals in 39 minutes
Aidan Morris opened the scoring in the 13th minute, settling Middlesbrough early and quieting the home crowd. Will Lankshear doubled the lead in the 31st minute, and a Lewis Brunt own goal in the 39th minute put the visitors 3-0 ahead. Thelonius Bair replied for Bolton in first-half stoppage time, so the sides went in at the break with Middlesbrough leading 3-1. The early goals set the pattern for the rest of the night: Middlesbrough pressed their advantage, and Bolton spent long spells chasing the game.
Lankshear keeps scoring
Bolton needed the first goal of the second half to make a contest of it, and it never came. Amario Cozier-Duberry scored in the 73rd minute to restore the three-goal margin, and Lankshear added his second of the night five minutes later, in the 78th minute, to complete the scoring. The two goals took Lankshear to 11 league goals this season. It was his sixth goal in six games and his 12th goal in all competitions since his 10 million pound move. On this form, he is the forward every Championship defence has to plan for first.
A familiar result against Bolton
The win was Middlesbrough's 10th successive win over Bolton, a run that stretches back to 2014. Cozier-Duberry's goal carried its own edge. He is a former Bolton loan player who scored nine goals for Bolton in League One last season, and this was his third goal for Middlesbrough. He scored it in front of 5,000 travelling fans, who made the trip in large numbers for the Friday night game. Bolton did create moments of their own, but goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu was left exposed at the other end and still made a string of outstanding saves that kept the margin from growing further.
Top for now
Middlesbrough moved above Swansea City and West Ham United at the top of the table with this win. The stay in first place may be short. Both Swansea and West Ham play on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, and either side can go back above Middlesbrough with the right result. For one night at least, the top spot belongs to Middlesbrough, and the size of the win made the point clearly. A 5-1 away win, with goals shared across the side and the division's form striker scoring twice, is the kind of result that sends a message to the rest of the table.
Key numbers
Final score: Bolton Wanderers 1, Middlesbrough 5. Half time: Bolton 1, Middlesbrough 3. Middlesbrough scorers: Morris in the 13th minute, Lankshear in the 31st and 78th minutes, a Brunt own goal in the 39th minute, and Cozier-Duberry in the 73rd minute. Bolton scorer: Bair in first-half stoppage time. Lankshear league goals this season: 11. Points clear at the top: two. Travelling fans: 5,000.