Middlesbrough 4 Norwich 0: Canaries hushed as Boro climb to second spot

Grant Leadbitter grabbed a double as Middlesbrough comprehensively won the battle of two promotion hopefuls by brushing aside Norwich City.
Patrick Bamford's early goal put Middlesbrough on track for an impressive home victory.Patrick Bamford's early goal put Middlesbrough on track for an impressive home victory.
Patrick Bamford's early goal put Middlesbrough on track for an impressive home victory.

Aitor Karanka’s side showed just why they are being so heavily tipped for a return to the Premier League with a superb display that saw them rise to second.

In complete control from the moment Patrick Bamford opened the scoring in the fifth minute, Middlesbrough took the points as Leadbitter struck his eighth and ninth goals of the campaign prior to Yanic Wildschut completing the scoring.

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Karanka’s men started like a team brimming with confidence and could have taken the lead when Ryan Fredericks hit an early volley just over.

But they did not have to wait much longer for an opener, Lee Tomlin playing a lovely through-ball to Albert Adomah, whose cross left Bamford with the simple task of diverting a diving header beyond John Ruddy.

Norwich came back into the game impressively, former Middlesbrough man Gary O’Neil seeing his low effort turned around the post by Dimi Konstantopoulos. That set the tone for much of the opening period, with Kyle Lafferty volleying a golden chance over soon after.

Norwich’s failure to take advantage of those opportunities came back to haunt them as Leadbitter sent Ruddy the wrong way after Russell Martin had felled George Friend in the box.

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Norwich continued their dominance of possession early in the second period, but Boro would again find a foothold and Leadbitter saw a deflected effort fly narrowly wide.

Fredericks was next to threaten with a vicious low strike from 30 yards and Boro finally grabbed the third their dominance deserved when Tomlin’s wonderful chipped pass allowed Leadbitter to loop a header over Ruddy.

A dreadful night for City was capped when Ruddy mishandled Leadbitter’s corner to leave Wildschut to slide in the fourth.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Fredericks, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter, Clayton, Adomah (Reach 49), Tomlin, Bamford (Vossen 75), Garcia (Wildschut 68). Unused substitutes: Whitehead, Omeruo, Nsue, Mejias.

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Norwich City: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Turner, Olsson, O’Neil, Tettey (Hooper 46), Redmond, Howson, Lafferty (Josh Murphy 57), Jerome (Grabban 78). Unused substitutes: Cuellar, Johnson, Miquel, Rudd.

Referee: Nigel Miller (Durham).