Full-time: Millwall 1 Middlesbrough 5

MIDDLESBROUGH claimed their biggest win of the season as they completely outclassed Millwall at the New Den.

Boro ran out 5-1 winners in South London, with Jelle Vossen’s hat-trick playing a major role in their win.

The Belgian, who had not previously scored in a Boro shirt, scored three goals in the space of 23 first-half minutes as the Teessiders repeatedly ran their opponents ragged.

Patrick Bamford also scored in a remarkably one-sided first half, and while former Boro striker Scott McDonald grabbed a late consolation for Millwall, there was still time for Kike to add a fifth goal for the visitors.

The win lifts Boro to fourth in the Championship table, and ensures they remain within two points of leaders Derby County, who they meet next weekend.

Aitor Karanka made three changes to the side that controversially drew with Blackburn last weekend, with Emilio Nsue, Adam Clayton and Adam Reach coming in for Ryan Fredericks, Dean Whitehead and Lee Tomlin.

For once, Karanka went with a 4-4-2 formation, and if the plan was to take the game to a Millwall side struggling in the lower reaches of the Championship table, it worked a treat.

Boro were four goals to the good by the interval, and in truth their advantage could have been even greater such was the extent of their dominance.

With Vossen and Bamford repeatedly getting behind the Millwall defence, and Albert Adomah and Adam Reach pushing forward to effectively create a four-man forwards line, Boro threatened every time they broke forward. And in the first half at least, that was pretty regularly.

The Teessiders thought they had took the lead in the sixth minute, with Vossen glancing Grant Leadbitter’s corner against the left-hand post and the ball appearing to cross the line before David Forde clawed it to safety.

Vossen was absolutely convinced he had scored, but referee Mick Russell remained unmoved. It was a similar incident to the one in yesterday’s FA Cup game between Hartlepool and Blyth Spartans, although its impact was nothing like as dramatic.

Vossen had already seen another decent effort saved by Forde when he finally claimed his first goal in a Boro shirt in the 21st minute.

Kenneth Omeruo’s long ball released Vossen behind the Millwall defence and into the inside left channel, and with Forde advancing towards him, the Belgian calmly lofted a sensational first-time finish over the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.

Seven minutes later and Boro had doubled their lead, with Bamford extending his fantastic recent scoring run as he made it five goals in his last six games.

Reach broke down the left-hand side, and after he rolled the ball inside to Bamford, the Chelsea loanee stepped inside his defender and caressed a delicate finish into the bottom corner.

Two became three six minutes later, with Reach heavily involved again as his pace and acceleration took him beyond the Millwall defence.

The left winger scampered on to Daniel Ayala’s long ball, and after holding off his marker, he rolled the ball into the path of the onrushing Vossen, who calmly stroked it into the net.

Vossen, a season-long loanee from Genk, struggled to live up to his billing in his early days in a Boro shirt, but this was comfortably his best game for the club and he duly completed a 23-minute hat-trick 60 seconds before the break.

It was another goal that saw Boro’s attackers get behind the Millwall back four, with Bamford holding off Byron Webster, and while the striker’s shot was blocked, the ball fell calmly for Vossen to stroke it into an empty net.

Millwall were dreadful before the break, and while former Middlesbrough striker McDonald at least fired in two long-range efforts, the home supporters greeted the half-time whistle with a chorus of loud boos.

Home boss Ian Holloway would have been furious at his side’s first-half display, and in fairness, the Lions improved marginally after the break. Not, however, that they could have got any worse.

They continued to make errors, and Scott Malone’s dreadful back-header within ten seconds of the second-half whistle afforded Bamford a clear run on goal, only for the striker to drag his shot wide.

Millwall’s players felt they should have had a penalty when Daniel Ayala blocked Magaye Gueye’s shot – the central defender was falling to the floor as the ball struck him close to the arm – but it was Boro would continued to look the more threatening.

Bamford should have scored his second goal of the game in the 68th minute, but after Adomah found him with a square ball from the right, he lofted his shot over the crossbar from close to the penalty spot.

Millwall clawed a ball back with 12 minutes left, with McDonald hammering a shot into the roof of the net after Lee Gregory’s initial effort had been blocked.

However, Boro’s response was immediate and they duly swept up the other end of the field to claim their fifth goal of the game within 60 seconds of conceding.

Emilio Nsue galloped down the right-hand side on the overlap, and his pull back teed up substitute Kike, who drilled home a precise low finish via the base of the left-hand post.

Nsue should have wrapped things up with the goal of the game in the final minute, but after turning in the box following a fine pass from Milos Veljkovic, the full-back somehow ballooned a shot over from eight yards.

Millwall (4-2-3-1): Forde; Wilkinson, Dunne, Webster (Shittu 46), Malone; Williams, Powell (Gueye 46); Gregory, McDonald, Upson (Woolford 70); Fuller.

Subs (not used): King (gk), Briggs, Angel, Easter.

Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Konstantopoulos; Nsue, Ayala, Omeruo, Friend; Leadbitter, Clayton (Veljkovic 63); Adomah, Vossen (Kike 71), Reach (Wildschut 81); Bamford.

Subs (not used): Mejias (gk), Gibson, Whitehead, Tomlin.