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Boro ended their wobble and went back to the top of the Championship table with an emphatic mauling of Millwall.
After two defeats in three Boro responded in style with a 3-0 win that lifted them to the summit by a single point after rivals and previous top dogs Derby lost 2-0 at Brighton.
Patrick Bamford lashed them into the lead midway through the first half then the on-loan Chelsea man teed up Kike to score a second before the break.
Then the victory was sealed by Jelle Vossen – back from concussion – who notched late on to add to his hat-trick in the 5-1 win in the reverse fixture in December.
Boro made four changes from the team that lost 2-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday and reverted to their usual 4231 shape after a poor return from a switch to 352.
Key men George Friend, Grant Leadbitter and Lee Tomlin returned to the starting line-up along with Ryan Fredericks in place of Kenneth Omeruo, James Husband, Dean Whitehead and Adam Forshaw.
Boro threatened first on three minutes as Adam Clayton nodded down a poor keeper's clearance for Patrick Bamford to flick to Kike then burst towards the box for the return but defender Dunne got there first to nervously hack clear.
Then a neat back-heel by Albert Adomah sent Friend over-lapping down the left to whip in a low cross that was cleared at the near post before Bamford could arrive.
Millwall's first chance came on seven minutes as they won a disputed through on the right and Woolford tricked past Friend to cross in but Tomas Kalas comfortably headed clear.
Boro threatened again soon after as Tomlin quickly weaved forward to the edge of the box before being tackled then Leadbitter slotted the loose ball down the left for Adomah who cut inside his man before being bundled off the ball by a second defender.
Then some neat touches by Kike and Bamford picked open the Millwall defence on 13 minutes to find Adomah in the box but it wouldn't fall for him and it was scrambled away.
Then there were good chances at either end in quick succession.
On 15 minutes Adam Clayton found space 40 yards out and crossed into the box for Kike to peel off his man and connect with a header but it flew straight into keeper Forde's arms.
Then straight up the other end a long Millwall ball forward bounced over the defence and sent Gregory surging free to the edge of the box but his low slotted shot was superbly blocked by the advancing Dimi Konstantopoulos.
Boro should have had the opener on 19 minutes as a Boro attack broke own but Fredericks collected a poor clearance and drilled a shot into a crowded box that was blocked on the line by defender Williams then when it squirted to Tomlin in space 12 yards out and he rifled in a low drive that was blocked by an Abdou sliding tackle.
Millwall again broke quickly and as a high ball was floated into the box Konstantopoulos had to gather at the second attempt after fumbling a Harding keeper.
Then after a corner on the right the went close as the ball bounced around before it landed for Dunne with his back to goal and he turned quickly but could only poke weakly at Konstantopoulos from eight yards out.
But Boro drew first blood with a well worked opener on 26 minutes.
Alert Tomlin pushed a loose ball down the left for Adomah to chase down the left and cut inside then when he drilled a square ball into the box Kike smartly dummied and it ran through for PATRICK BAMFORD to lash it into the far top corner from 12 yards.
And they quickly added a second on the half-hour to take control.
A long ball was played down the inside right channel by Clayton for Bamford to control and then scoop into the box and it bounced kindly for KIKE to steer over the stranded keeper to claim his first goal at the Riverside for four months.
And on 35 minutes they almost had a third when keeper Forde failed to deal with a backpass and took a touch too many before just scrambling away with Bamford bearing down.
Boro then had a great spell of swaggering possession as they passed and picked their way forward forcing Millwall into some frantic last ditch defending before the visitors broke out and twice Woolford blasted long range shots high and wide.
HALF-TIME: BORO 2 MILLWALL 0
Millwall started brightly after the break and caused a scare on 47 minutes as Hardy tricked past Fredericks to skip into the box from the right then slammed a low ball towards the near post that was bundled behind by a combination of Gibson and Konstantopoulos.
Then from the corner Taylor-Fletcher headed over.
But Boro were soon back on the attack as Leadbitter headed over after a good run and cross from Adomah.
Then on 52 minutes Boro had Millwall defending frantically as first Tomlin the Adomah had shots blocked in a scramble.
And on the hour Boro threatened again as Kike picked up a Clayton pass with his back to goal on the edge of the box and with Tomlin over-lapping and screaming for a pass, he twisted and turned to find an angle but his snap shot was turned behind for a corner which was headed clear.
On 66 minutes Millwall put on Fuller and Upson for Gregory and Williams.
Boro had a half-chance on 70 minutes as Adomah peeled off his man to get a touch on a Leadbitter free-kick but it flew into the chest of the keeper who gathered at the second attempt.
On 72 minutes Abdou was booked for hauling back Leadbitter.
Boro almost scored on 73 minutes as Fredericks clattered Hardy to spark a quick move from right to left that sent over-lapping Friend scything into the box to fire a ball across the face of goal that Bamford couldn't quite reach.
Jelle Vossen returned after a spell sidelined with concussion as he came on for Tomlin on 74 minutes.
Millwall went close on 77 minutes as Upson carried the ball forward and as Boro backed off he thumped a 20 yard low shot just wide of the post.
But Boro all but sealed the game on 78 minutes as a neat one tow with Adomah sent Friend carving into the box and when it was blocked by a sliding tackle it rebounded nicely for JELLE VOSSEN – who got a hat-trick in the away game – to slot home from 10 yards.
On 82 minutes Boro put on Adam Forshaw and Yanic Wildschut for Leadbitter and Bamford.
Boro kept pressing and went close again on 86 minutes as Gibson powered a header just over from a Clayton corner.
Then in the final minute Friend deftly nodded down a Clayton free-kick in the box and Wildschut lashed it a yard over.
BORO: Konstantopoulos, Fredericks, Kalas, Gibson, Friend, Leadbitter(c) (Forshaw 82), Clayton, Adomah, Tomlin (Vossen 74), Bamford (Wildschut), Kike. Subs: Ripley, Woodgate, Whitehead, Reach.
MILLWALL: Forde; Abdou, Dunne, Hooiveld, Harding; Tonge (O'Brien 79), Williams (Upson 66); Woolford, Fabbrini, Taylor-Fletcher; Gregory (Fuller 66). Subs: King, Nelson, Beevers, Angel.
Ref: Kevin Wright (Cambridge)
Att: 16,078 (162)
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