Breezy Boro ride wave towards crest of table

Middlesbrough 2 Bolton Wanderers

Middlesbrough are surfing a tidal wave of confidence at the moment, and it washed them to within three points of the leaders. But, despite a breath-taking five minutes, it almost didn't overwhelm Bolton, who went down only after a fight.

Indeed, until the 69th minute, when the excellent Geremi put the game beyond the visitors, there was a powerful feeling of trepidation around the Riverside that Bolton would be allowed to steal a point and prolong their record of scoring in every Premiership game so far this season. Middlesbrough are unused to the dizzy heights of third, and even though they have the meanest defence in the land – just five goals conceded in nine games – when Gareth Southgate begins to look mortal, as he did yesterday, the nerves quickly start to gnaw.

Yet Bolton should have been drowned by Boro's blistering opening. A flood of sharp attacks broke over their defence. The storm started in the 29th second when Massimo Maccarone dropped the ball off his chest into the path of Alen Boksic. Boro's fine start to the season has rejuvenated the Croatian striker and he exploded into the area before pulling back an inviting ball, which Macc-arone spooned over the bar.

Perhaps the sweetest of Middlesbrough's interchanges came in the 12th minute, when Geremi flicked a fine ball through to his Cameroon countryman Joseph-Désiré Job. Job back-heeled a perfect return to Geremi who, rather than shoot, smuggled the ball inside for Boksic to toe wide.

The move in the 18th minute wasn't bad either. George Boateng swung a 50-yard crossfield pass to Jonathan Greening in full flight down the left. With one touch Greening stopped it dead; with his next he crossed for Job to steer wide.

A goal was inevitable, although if it weren't for Ugo Ehiogu Bolton would have had it. Southgate missed a tackle on the halfway line, leaving Youri Djorkaeff a clear run at goal. Ehiogu, though, shepherded him safely away and then, three minutes later, met Geremi's corner with an imperious leap above Mick Whitlow and an impressive header past Jussi Jaaskelainen for the opening goal.

"It almost looked like damage limitation at one stage, but we knew we faced a lively start, with their results and confidence," said Bolton's manager, Sam Allardyce.

Steve McClaren, the Middlesbrough manager, said: "We could have been 3-0 up before we even scored, so I was pleased. After our win at Spurs last weekend we gained many plaudits, so it was a big game for us to gauge the players' reaction and I think they thoroughly deserved the win."

But as soon as the ball hit the back of the net, Boro went off the boil. The bright ideas and clever touches were still there, but now they were stretching their team-mates rather than Bolton. In the 41st minute, Kevin Nolan curled a beautiful shot from the edge of the area, which was destined for the top corner until Mark Schwarzer tipped it away for a corner.

Bolton's rally continued until the 69th minute when Job lobbed Geremi clean away and, with only team-mate Boateng for company, Geremi calmly put the ball beyond Jaaskelainen and the game beyond Bolton.

"It was disappointing, as we were having our best spell," said Allardyce. "It is worrying, because we are making chances but not putting them away and so we are not drawing the games we did last season. We are losing them."

Indeed, even after Geremi's goal Bolton had numerous chances, the best being mangled by Djorkaeff who, with one minute remaining, blasted Michael Ricketts' knock-down over the bar.

And so the only worry for McClaren, who chased a mouse off the pitch in the first half, is next weekend's impending international break. "When you're playing like this," he said, "you want to keep riding the wave."

Middlesbrough 2 Bolton Wanderers 0
Ehiogu 23, Geremi 68

Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 31,005