Championship
Lankshear stars for Boro as goals rain down in EFL
Sebastian Berhalter is building a strong relationship with the in-form Will Lankshear after he scored twice in Middlesbrough's 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the EFL Championship.… Show More
Sebastian Berhalter is building a strong relationship with the in-form Will Lankshear after he scored twice in Middlesbrough's 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the EFL Championship.
Middlesbrough continued to set the pace at the top of the table with a comfortable win at Riverside Stadium, with Lankshear's impressive scoring streak continuing.
Berhalter opened the scoring in the 12th minute after combining with Amario Cozier-Duberry before the American teed up Lankshear's first goal a minute before half-time.
Kim Hellberg's team needed to wait until late in the second half to get the third goal its performance deserved, and it was Lankshear who added further gloss to the scoreline with a stunning strike that picked out the top-left corner.
Lankshear has now scored 13 goals in the Championship since his switch from Tottenham Hotspur in pre-season, more than any other player in England's top four tiers this season.
"It wasn't clicking at first, and I think the fans kept us going – it didn't matter if we messed up, they believed in us," Berhalter said of Middlesbrough's performance.
"They [Charlton] were direct and have two guys up top that do a fantastic job, and it was for us to stay strong, weather that storm, and be ready to strike when we're ready.
"He [Lankshear] is such a quality player, and it's his movement too – before I even had the ball he started running across the line and that's something we talk about all the time.
"We trust each other. He's a competitor, he makes sure he wins in training every time, and he loves scoring goals."
But on a day filled with goals in the Championship, Swansea City and Wolverhampton Wanderers remain in touching distance of Middlesbrough after they breezed to their own respective wins.
Swansea thumped Blackburn Rovers 4-0, with Vitor Matos' side cruising into a three-goal lead after just 36 minutes.
Wolves, meanwhile, secured back-to-back league wins after a 3-0 win over Cardiff City. Fer Lopez, Adam Armstrong and Ladislav Krejci were all on target for the hosts.
Norwich City came from two goals down to win a league game for the first time since September 2024 as it beat Watford 3-2 to move up to 15th in the standings.
It was a day to forget for West Ham United, which dropped down to eighth after suffering a surprise 3-1 defeat to West Bromwich Albion. The Hammers have now lost consecutive home games within the same Championship campaign for the first time since January 2005.
Derby County remains without a win in its past nine league games after a 4-1 defeat to Millwall, with a first-half blitz from Alex Neil's side ultimately doing the damage.
Millwall was three goals ahead after 17 minutes, with Jake Cooper scoring its fourth in the 84th minute before Filip Bilbija netted a late consolation.
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