Will Lankshear storm at Middlesbrough: a goal-filled Saturday in the Championship

The understanding between in-form striker Will Lankshear, who scored two goals in Middlesbrough's 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic, and Sebastian Berhalter is catching the eye.

Cruising to victory at the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough kept up their pace at the top of the Championship, while Lankshear continued his impressive scoring run.

Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring in the 12th minute after a one-two with Amario Cozier-Duberry. The American then also set up Lankshear's first goal one minute before half-time.

Kim Hellberg's side had to wait until late in the second half for the third goal their performance deserved. Lankshear stepped up once again, settling the match with a stylish finish into the top-left corner.

The young striker, who left Tottenham in the summer transfer window, has now reached 13 Championship goals this season, cementing his status as the top scorer across England's top four divisions this season.

Assessing Middlesbrough's performance after the match, Berhalter said: "At first we hadn't quite settled into our game, but our fans kept us in it. Even when we made mistakes, they believed in us. Charlton were a direct team with two forwards doing great work up front. What we had to do was stay strong, ride out that pressure and strike when we were ready. Lankshear is a really high-quality player. His runs are incredible; he had already started running in behind the defence before the ball even reached me, which is something we talk about all the time. We trust each other. He's a real fighter, he wants to win even in training and he loves scoring goals."

On a day of plentiful goals in the Championship, the chasing Swansea City and Wolves also made no mistake.

Under Vitor Matos, Swansea beat Blackburn Rovers 4-0 in a match in which they had built a 3-goal lead within the first 36 minutes. Wolves, meanwhile, won 3-0 against Cardiff City to record a second successive league victory, with the hosts' goals coming from Fer López, Adam Armstrong and Ladislav Krejčí.

Norwich City came from two goals down to beat Watford 3-2, winning a league match from behind for the first time since September 2024 and climbing to 15th in the table.

For West Ham, it was a day to forget. The London club suffered a surprise 3-1 home defeat to West Bromwich and dropped to eighth place. It is the first time since January 2005 that West Ham have lost two consecutive home matches within the same Championship season.

Derby County lost 4-1 away at Millwall, extending their winless run in the league to nine matches. Alex Neil's Millwall effectively settled the contest early with three goals in the first 17 minutes. Jake Cooper scored Millwall's fourth goal, while Derby County's only reply came from Filip Bilbija in stoppage time.