Burnley 3 Middlesbrough 0: Rodriguez undermines Boro as Burnley sparkle

The Burnley-born England Under-21 striker opened the scoring in clinical fashion in the 22nd minute and then embarked on a delightful run to provide a second for Wade Elliott a minute later.

Eight minutes before the break, defender Michael Duff was allowed the freedom of Turf Moor to head home unopposed from a corner as Eddie Howe’s men moved to within striking distance of sixth-placed Leeds United.

The Clarets will face Simon Grayson’s side at Elland Road a week on Saturday, and having ended a dismal six-match winless sequence with victory over Swansea City on Saturday, they may feel they are beginning to rediscover their best form when it matters most.

Middlesbrough replied through Andrew Taylor’s late strike but the defensive flaws which have undermined Tony Mowbray’s side all season were glaringly apparent during the first half when the game effectively got away from them.

The 2-1 weekend win over Swansea had evidently poured confidence into Burnley and they cut the Boro defence to shreds during the opening 45 minutes.

Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Bikey (Carlisle 71), Duff, Fox, Elliott, Marney (Alexander 90), Cork, Eagles (Delfouneso 76), Iwelumo, Rodriguez. Unused substitutes: Grant, Wallace, Thompson, Duffy.

Middlesbrough: Smith, McMahon (Lita 60), Bates, McManus, Bennett, Thomson (Smallwood 60), Robson (Kink 59), Rhys Williams, Arca, Taylor, McDonald. Unused substitutes: Coyne, Davies, Flood, Halliday.

Referee: Mark Haywood (W Yorkshire).