Full-time: Middlesbrough 2 Derby County 0

IT might have lasted for less than three hours, but Middlesbrough’s spell at the top of the Championship table this weekend nevertheless provided a tantalising glimpse of what the second half of the season might entail.

The Teessiders have been before and fallen away, but this does not look like a squad that will meekly capitulate in the manner of the one assembled by Tony Mowbray. Indeed, on the evidence of Saturday’s magnificent victory over the erstwhile league leaders Derby County, it appears to be going from strength to strength.

Superior in every department, Boro comprehensively outshone a Derby side who had been garlanded as champions-in-waiting when they were on a ten-match unbeaten run earlier this autumn.

Boro’s own sequence now stands at one defeat in the last 16 league games, a remarkable record given the competitiveness of the Championship and one that underlines the durability and resilience that Aitor Karanka has successfully allied to his side’s undoubted talent.

Those attributes will be required in abundance as Boro head into a festive spell that will see them take on Ipswich, Nottingham Forest and Blackburn, three sides also in the current top nine, and after Saturday’s stand-out display, Karanka’s players suddenly find themselves regarded as a prize scalp.

Be that as it may. A ratcheting of expectations might not be to the head coach’s liking, but it is an inevitable by-product of being strong promotion contenders and there should be sufficient experience and strength of character within the group to cope with the increased attention that being in the top two positions attracts.

“I think the rest of the division respects us more each time we play,” said Karanka, who watched Saturday’s win from the front row of the directors’ box as Leo Percovich assumed dug-out duties with the Spaniard serving a one-match touchline ban. “We might not win all of our matches, but it is not a coincidence that Middlesbrough are winning most of the games we play.

“Now, all the other teams have Middlesbrough as a reference point. That is good for us because they respect us, but it is also bad for us because when they play against us, they are going to play with more concentration and effort than usual. That will make it difficult.”

Nevertheless, if Boro play as they did at the weekend, they should have no trouble dealing with whatever obstacles are placed in their way.

The previous weekend’s trip to Millwall saw the Teessiders swat away significantly inferior opposition, but the visit of Steve McClaren’s Derby was always going to ask markedly different questions of a side that has benefited from Karanka’s switch of formation to 4-4-2.

The instructions were clearly to press high up the field, deny Derby’s midfielders any time or space on the ball and attack in numbers whenever the opportunity presented itself. The result was complete dominance, and the visitors looked a beaten side long before Ryan Shotton’s dismissal shortly after the hour mark effectively ended the game as a contest, with Grant Leadbitter inflicting a double punishment from the penalty spot.

Derby’s back four had no answer to the movement and energy of Patrick Bamford and Jelle Vossen, with Boro’s front two closing down frantically when they were not in possession, and linking up superbly whenever they had the ball. Karanka’s tendency to chop and change means there will almost certainly be chances for Kike and Lee Tomlin before the end of the year, but for the time being at least, the identity of the first-choice forward line is settled.

Out wide, Adam Reach and Albert Adomah reproduced the barnstorming performances they had delivered at The New Den, with their direct running and desire to drive beyond their opposition full-back leaving Derby’s defenders on the back foot all afternoon.

Further infield, Leadbitter and Adam Clayton dominated the heart of midfield to the extent that McClaren was forced to replace his key play-maker, Omar Mascarell, at half-time. Leadbitter, in particular, is currently playing as well as he ever has in a Middlesbrough shirt.

There was a brief scare on the stroke of half-time, with Dimi Konstantopoulos’ weak clearance affording Jeff Hendrick a shot at goal, but aside from that, Boro’s superiority was never challenged. As a result, the mood at full-time was somewhat different to the chaos that accompanied the denouement of the previous home game against Blackburn.

“This was my best afternoon at the club, for sure,” said Karanka. “Two weeks ago, the last minute was the worst moment in my career. But today is the best. 

“The main thing for me again was the performance, but I was especially pleased for my staff. They have been working very hard this week, and were a little bit concerned because I wasn’t going to be on the bench. But they know me perfectly, and I know and trust them. I didn’t have any doubt that they were going to be excellent. This victory is for them.”

Bamford’s opener represented the ideal start, with the striker claiming his sixth goal in the last seven matches as he received the ball from Reach and swept home via the inside of the post.

Only some heroics from Lee Grant prevented Vossen doubling Boro’s lead midway through the first half, with the Derby goalkeeper getting down superbly to keep out the Belgian’s side-footed strike after he had parried Bamford’s initial effort.

Grant also made two excellent second-half saves to deny Bamford, but by that stage Boro had claimed a second goal and Derby had been reduced to ten men.

Vossen’s fine disguised pass released Bamford into the area, and the Chelsea loanee was felled by Shotton as he was preparing to shoot. Leadbitter drilled the resultant penalty into the bottom left-hand corner to claim his tenth goal of the season, six of which have come from spot-kicks.

“The confidence and team spirit within the group is really high,” said Bamford. “That always helps, and it’s very similar to what was happening at Derby last year. I can see the same thing here at Middlesbrough and that should help us out in the second half of the season.

“It’s a massive confidence boost, but while being at the top of the table is nice, it isn’t really going to matter where we are right now. You’ve got to be there at the end of the season, and as long as we can keep up this unbeaten run and take the confidence from that, we’ll be doing well.”