Lankshear scores twice as Middlesbrough beat Bolton 5-1 to go top

Middlesbrough moved to the top of the Championship with a 5-1 victory at Bolton Wanderers on Friday, taking their total to 25 points from 12 matches. Will Lankshear scored twice to strengthen his position as the division's leading scorer, according to BBC Sport's report by Dan Wareing. The result came before the rest of the weekend's league programme.

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Kim Hellberg's side produced 31 attempts at goal, with 19 coming before half-time and 12 on target across the match. The BBC reported an expected-goals figure of 4.16 for Middlesbrough, reflecting the volume and quality of their opportunities. Bolton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu made several saves, while the hosts scored their goal towards the end of the first half.

Lankshear's double took him to 11 goals in 12 Championship games and 13 in all competitions this season. The 21-year-old, signed from Tottenham in July for an initial £10 million, stood four goals ahead of Southampton's Cyle Larin in the league scoring chart. Speaking to BBC Radio Tees, he credited the service provided by Tommy Conway and Amario Cozier-Duberry and said he could have scored more.

The win was Middlesbrough's seventh in their opening 12 league fixtures. Their 25-point return matched their total at the same stage of the previous campaign, when they eventually finished fifth and lost the play-off final to Hull. Last season, Boro had reached first place in early February following six successive wins, but subsequently managed only four victories in their final 15 league matches.

Bolton entered this meeting having beaten Wolves and drawn away at Southampton in their two preceding games. Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees that the hosts had tried to play aggressively and take control, contributing to an open contest. He praised Middlesbrough's work around the penalty area and the number of chances created, while also recognising contributions from five substitutes.

Former Middlesbrough midfielder Neil Maddison singled out Lankshear's movement in his assessment for BBC Radio Tees, describing how the striker was varying his runs and dropping deeper. For Boro, the immediate reward was a place at the summit after a comprehensive away win, with their leading forward adding another two goals to his early-season tally.