Middlesbrough 5-1 Norwich City: Cameron Archer-inspired Boro keep faint promotion hopes alive

Aston Villa loanee Cameron Archer netted doubly and teed up 2 much arsenic Middlesbrough scored each of their archetypal 5 shouts connected people against Norwich City

Middlesbrough overpowered Norwich City with a objective show to support live their faint hopes of automatic promotion.

Archer slotted successful the 3rd and past promptly snuffed retired the little anticipation fixed by Josh Sargent's decorativeness by punishing much sloppy defending with a almighty finish.

Chuba Akpom tapped successful a 5th soon aft the interruption acknowledgment to Archer who added a 2nd assistance to his extremity treble arsenic Boro moved supra Luton connected extremity quality into 3rd successful the Championship.

• Relive Middlesbrough's five-goal thrashing of Norwich

A archetypal triumph successful 4 moves Michael Carrick's broadside wrong 5 points of second-placed Sheffield United with 4 matches remaining, but having played 2 games much arsenic their hopes of a Premier League instrumentality present look anchored to the play-offs.

A gully would person lifted Norwich into the play-off places, but they stay a constituent extracurricular the apical six successful eighth and their bid appears to beryllium flagging aft a tally of 1 triumph successful seven.

Sargent pulled a bully aboriginal accidental wide arsenic the visitors began brightly, but Boro made them wage with their archetypal onslaught arsenic large interplay from Akpom and Archer carved unfastened the visitors for Ramsey's 5th extremity successful 7 starts.

City should person levelled erstwhile Zack Steffen pushed Sam McCallum's unsafe shot into Sargent's path, but the prostrate Boro goalkeeper got a manus to his close-range effort.

The lucifer was decided successful a frantic adjacent to the archetypal fractional arsenic Hackney doubled the pb a infinitesimal aft Darragh Lenihan's headed decorativeness had been ruled retired for offside.

The extremity drew protests from the Canaries, unhappy that the hosts had played connected and scored with Sam McCallum down injured, but they lone had themselves to blasted erstwhile Archer easy recovered abstraction to person Alex Mowatt's walk for 3-0.

Boro returned the compliment erstwhile Paddy McNair was caught successful possession by Sargent who ran connected and slid a neat decorativeness done Steffen's legs.

But a Norwich defence missing first-choice centre-halves Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson, past poked Ryan Giles' free-kick consecutive to the unmarked Archer to termination the game.

City had mislaid conscionable 1 of their erstwhile 8 games connected the road, but were already connected way for their heaviest decision of the play earlier Akpom netted for the eighth successive location crippled - matching the Championship grounds shared with Jarrod Bowen and Tammy Abraham.

Pressing for a consolation connected a miserable evening, Gabriel Sara's almighty onslaught smacked the station and the Canaries should person had a punishment erstwhile Ryan Giles brought down Max Aarons, who aboriginal forced a astute halt from Steffen.