Full-time: Middlesbrough 2 Derby County 0

MIDDLESBROUGH moved to the top of the Championship table for the first time this season as they outplayed the previous leaders, Derby County, at the Riverside.

The afternoon results saw Bournemouth take over at the head of affairs and knock Boro back down to second, but today’s lunch-time success still represents a huge endorsement of Aitor Karanka’s side’s promotion credentials given their dominance over a Derby team that have been sweeping all before them this term.

Patrick Bamford’s sixth-minute opener represented the ideal start, and the in-form striker dominated the Derby back four all afternoon as Boro pressed and harried high up the field.

Bamford was also heavily involved in the Teessiders’ second as he was fouled by Ryan Shotton in the area just as he was about to shoot midway through the second half.

Shotton was dismissed, and skipper Grant Leadbitter drilled home his tenth goal of the season from the penalty spot to confirm Boro’s superiority.

Karanka might have been banned from the touchline, but he was still able to select the starting line-up and the Boro head coach made one change from the side that thrashed Millwall last weekend.

Ben Gibson replaced Kenneth Omeruo at centre-half, and was sporting a protective head guard after having 20 stitches in a head wound earlier in the week.

Bamford and Jelle Vossen continued in attack after linking up so well at the New Den, and the pair were both involved as Boro broke the deadlock in the sixth minute.

Vossen attempted to slip a through ball into Bamford’s path, and while his pass was cut out, it broke for Adam Reach to surge down the left-hand side.

Reach drove past his marker and pulled the ball back for Bamford, and the striker stroked home a shot via the inside of the right-hand post.

The assist was Reach’s third in the space of two games, while the goal was Bamford’s sixth strike in the last seven matches and came against the side he represented on loan in the second half of last season.

Buoyed by their early advantage, Boro went on to dominate a high-standard first half that underlined why both sides are challenging for promotion this season.

With Vossen and Bamford closing down their opponents at every opportunity, Boro prevented the Derby midfield from functioning as well as it has recently. Leadbitter was also in fine form in the central area, and the hosts dominated without being able to carve out too many openings.

Most of that was down to the high standard of Derby’s defending, and the visitors were grateful for a fantastic save from Lee Grant in the 27th minute.

Grant saved Bamford’s first effort after the striker raced on to Leadbitter’s through ball, but the ball broke kindly for Vossen who was following up in the area. It looked like the Belgian only had to find the target to score, but Grant somehow flung himself back to the floor to turn the ball behind for a corner. It was a quite fantastic piece of agility.

Boro threatened again when Reach shot over shortly after the half-hour mark, and Emilio Nsue saw his deflected effort easily saved by Grant with half-time beckoning.

Derby had been unable to fashion a breakthrough at that stage, but they came close to claiming what would have been a somewhat undeserved equaliser in first-half stoppage time.

Dimi Konstantopoulos’ weak clearance was seized upon by Johnny Russell, and he set up Jeff Hendrick in the area. Hendrick had time to pick his spot from 12 yards, but his weak side-footer was easily saved by a grateful Konstantopoulos.

A Derby equaliser at that stage would have been extremely harsh on Boro, and the hosts started the second half at a furious pace in an attempt to give themselves a two-goal cushion to defend.

Reach headed Albert Adomah’s cross wide at the back post, before Derby centre-half Richard Keogh produced a fantastic sliding block to prevent Vossen’s low effort finding the net.

The pace of Boro’s play at the start of the second half was superb, and they went close again shortly before the hour mark.

Daniel Ayala somehow failed to get his head to Leadbitter’s whipped free-kick, before Adam Clayton whistled a follow-up shot narrowly past the post.

It felt only a matter of time before Boro put the game out of reach, and Derby’s hopes of a comeback were effectively ended in the 63rd minute as they conceded a second and, in a double whammy, were reduced to ten men.

Vossen’s magnificent through ball released Bamford into the area, and the striker was chopped down by Shotton just as he was about to shoot.

Shotton received a straight red card for denying a goalscoring opportunity, and Leadbitter stepped up to hammer home his sixth spot-kick of the season.

Bamford was a threat to the Derby defence all afternoon, and he quickly saw a fierce low shot parried by Grant before the Rams goalkeeper also kept out his near-post effort from Adomah’s cross.

That was to be Bamford’s last involvement before he was replaced by Kike, and after a relatively slow start to his Boro career, the Chelsea loanee has been absolutely superb in the last few matches.

Yanic Wildschut also replaced Vossen in the closing stages, and the game ended with Konstantopoulos producing an excellent save to protect Boro’s clean sheet.

Chris Martin rolled the ball into Craig Bryson’s path, but Konstantopoulos got down superbly to keep out the full-back’s close-range shot.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): Konstantopoulos; Nsue, Gibson, Ayala, Friend; Adomah, Leadbitter, Clayton, Reach; Vossen (Wildschut 77), Bamford (Kike 74).

Subs (not used): Mejias (gk), Husband, Omeruo, Whitehead, Veljkovic.

Derby (4-3-3): Grant; Christie, Keogh, Shotton, Forsyth; Mascarell (Best 46), Hendrick (Hughes 61), Bryson; Russell, Martin, Dawkins (Ibe 46).

Subs (not used): Roos (gk), Buxton, Coutts, Calero.