Tommy Conway's double and Alan Browne's goal against his former club helped Middlesbrough sweep aside Preston North End 4-0 on Teesside, a fourth straight league victory that keeps Kim Hellberg's side second in the Championship table and in hot pursuit of Frank Lampard's Coventry.
Browne struck after nine minutes from Matt Targett's cross, before Conway and Morgan Whittaker punished defensive lapses to put Boro three up by half-time; Jordan Storey's red card and Conway's second soon after the restart ended any hopes of a Preston fightback and deepened Paul Heckingbottom's growing problems.
Preston had started brightly and felt they might have had an early penalty, but once they fell behind they never recovered, slipping to a fourth successive defeat in all competitions, conceding seven times across their last two outings and extending their goal drought to 380 minutes.
Bright Preston Start Fizzles After Browne's Early Breakthrough