Boro had gone into the half time interval leading by a three clear goal margin to put Bolton on course to record their biggest Premiership defeat since losing to Chelsea in October 2005.

And if that wasn't bad enough, contraversial striker El-Hadji Diouf was dismissed for the visitors midway through the second half for using foul and abusive language towards the match officials.

Remarkably, given the turn of events in the contest, it was Bolton who had the first clear cut chances of the game. Within the opening minute record signing Nicolas Anelka fired over and then Gary Speed forced a good save out of the Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Speed had the misfortune to open the scoring for Boro in the sixth minute when he inadvertantly forced the ball over his own goal line after a header from full back Abel Xavier had come back off the post.

The unmistakeable figure of Xavier then doubled the Teesiders advantage on ten minutes when heading a cross from England winger Stewart Downing past Bolton custodian Jussi Jaaskelainen.

This goal proved to be the first in over five years for the veteran Portuguese full back who had a trial with Wanderers in 2004 and Boro where seemingly cruising.

Downing set up Middlesbrough's third goal on 23 minutes when producing a ball of sublime quality which striker Mark Viduka fired past Jaaskelainen from close range.

The Trotters did restore some pride some two minutes later when returning skipper Kevin Nolan fired home his second goal of the season after being set up well by Abdoulaye Meite and Kevin Davies.

Meite then showed good strength at the other end to put off Yakubu from netting a fourth Middlesbrough goal but the former Portsmouth player was still causing the Trotters problems.

With just over a minute of the opening half remaining Boro ended the game as a contest when Downing got the goal that his performance so richly deserved when curling in a beautiful shot past Jaaskelainen.

Bolton almost forced an immediate response in front of goal but central striker Kevin Davies fired wide after being picked out in a good position at the far post.

Right back Nicky Hunt bore the brunt of Sam Allardyce's half time team talk as he was replaced for the start of the closing half by Jamaican international Ricardo Gardner.

Fortunately for Bolton the mayhem that had surrounded the opening forty five minutes seemed to subside a little bit, but that didn't stop Boro from trying to add to their goals tally for the afternoon.

Yakubu had already wasted two previous clear chances for the hosts and shortly after the hour mark a third chance went begging as the speedy striker failed to convert a fine team move involving Viduka.

The Wanderers afternoon went from bad to worse on 66 minutes when Diouf was promptly dismissed for over demonstrating with referee Alan Wiley as the Trotters frustrations boiled over.

Viduka sealed the victory for the Teesiders with just over five minutes of the game remaining to leave Bolton still without a win at Boro in over eleven years of trying. The former Leeds and Celtic favourite converting a pull back from young midfielder Lee Cattermole.

Wanderers substitutes Gardner and Andranik Teimourian had late chances to pull another goal back but the club now go into next weekend's FA Cup tie at Arsenal on the back of a second dismal result in successive weeks.

Bolton Wanderers: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Nicky Hunt (Ricardo Gardner), Abdoulaye Faye, Abdoulaye Meite, Tal Ben-Haim, Kevin Nolan, Ivan Campo, Gary Speed (Andranik Teimourian), El-Hadji Diouf, Kevin Davies (Ricardo Vaz-Te), Nicolas Anelka

Subs Not Used: Stelios Giannakopoulos, Ian Walker (GK)

Middlesbrough: Mark Schwarzer, Abel Xavier, Jonathan Woodgate, Emmanuel Pogatetz, Andrew Taylor, Julio Arca, Lee Cattermole (James Morrison), George Boateng, Stewart Downing (Jason Euell_, Mark Viduka, Yakubu Ayegbeni (Malcolm Christie)

Subs Not Used: Andrew Davies, Brad Jones (GK)

Referee:

Alan Wiley

Attendance:

24,614

Booked:

Ivan Campo (Bolton)

Kevin Nolan (Bolton)

Kevin Davies (Bolton)

George Boateng (Middlesbrough)

Sent Off

El-Hadji Diouf (Bolton)

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