NORWICH in the play-off semi-finals? After this evening's ruthless dismantling of the Canaries, Middlesbrough would snap your hands off for such a scenario next month.

This was Boro at their free-flowing best, banishing any jitters caused by a run of three games without a victory and sending out a statement to the rest of the teams competing for a place in the Premier League. Okay, so the top two might be out of reach, even though Boro have closed back to within five points of Sheffield United, but on this evidence, Michael Carrick’s team will take some stopping if they find themselves with a play-off campaign to negotiate.

Norwich’s defenders will certainly not fancy facing them again, such was the destructiveness of the first-half attacking play that enabled Boro to score four goals before the break this evening. Cameron Archer got two of them in a breathless end to the opening period that also saw Norwich score through Josh Sargent, after Aaron Ramsey and Hayden Hackney had already found the net.

Chuba Akpom added a now customary goal of his own after the break, with the final scoreline meaning Boro have scored four or more goals in three of their last five home games. So much for stuttering as the end of the season nears.

Last night’s deluge of goals matched the weather, and began just seven minutes in. The opener was the type of slick, passing goal that has become a Boro trademark under Carrick, with Marcus Forss starting the move by flicking the ball to Akpom. Boro’s leading scorer released Archer into the area, and when the striker squared across the face of the six-yard box, his fellow Aston Villa loanee, Ramsey, was unmarked as he tapped home.

Ramsey spent the first half of the season on loan at Norwich, indeed his final appearance for the Canaries was against Middlesbrough in November, but he has enjoyed a new lease of life on Teesside, with last night’s goal making it five in his last eight matches when he only scored three in the whole of his time at Carrow Road.

Unfortunately, last night’s opener proved to be his last meaningful intervention as he was forced off midway through the first half with an ankle injury that was sustained as he was caught while trying to skip past Max Aarons’ sliding challenge.

Alex Mowatt came on to replace him, with the change requiring Hackney to move out to the left, and for quarter-of-an-hour or so, the reshuffle halted Boro’s first-half momentum.

Zack Steffen made an important save to prevent Sargent from stabbing home, but Boro had rediscovered their groove by the time Hackney doubled their lead four minutes before the break.

Forss clipped the ball in from the right, and as he swivelled close to the edge of the area, Hackney swept a brilliant first-time finish into the bottom corner. It was the Redcar-born midfielder’s first goal under Carrick, with his only previous strike having come during Leo Percovich’s caretaker reign.

With Boro having built up a head of steam, 2-0 became 3-0 within the space of two minutes. Norwich’s defence was nowhere to be seen as Mowatt released Archer into the left of the box, leaving Boro’s recalled centre-forward with the task of stroking a simple finish past Angus Gunn.

Game over? Not quite. Boro’s own defensive shakiness reappeared on the stroke of half-time, with Paddy McNair dawdling in possession and allowing Sargent to steal the ball deep in the Boro half. The Norwich forward advanced towards goal before slipping a precise finish through Steffen’s legs.

Remarkably, though, that was still not that before the interval. Giles chipped a free-kick into the box and after Norwich’s defenders made a complete hash of trying to clear their lines, the ball squirmed to Archer, who calmly slotted home.

All that was missing was a goal for Akpom, and it duly arrived four minutes after the break. Archer broke into the box and slotted the ball through a defender’s legs, enabling Akpom to slot home his 27th league goal of a truly remarkable season.