Liverpool have moved up to second in the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium this evening.
An Adam Lallana brace either side of a Divock Origi strike saw the visitors return to winning ways and capitalise on Arsenal's slip-up against Everton last night to leapfrog the Gunners in the table.
In a meeting between the league's top scorers and its lowest scorers, chances were few and far between during the opening exchanges as the match got off to a slow and even start.
Liverpool's Simon Mignolet - back in the side in place of the dropped Loris Karius - was the first keeper called into action after 18 minutes when Fabio let fly from range, but it was a simple stop for the Belgian to make.
The hosts had a better sight of goal midway through the half when Ben Gibson climbed highest in the area to steer a header towards the bottom corner, but once again Mignolet was able to hold on.
Liverpool's first meaningful chance didn't arrive until shortly before the half-hour mark, but they made the most of it as Lallana planted a header from Nathaniel Clyne's cross past the keeper for his fifth goal of the season - already more than he managed in the whole of the 2015-16 campaign.
Middlesbrough almost responded immediately when Viktor Fischer found space on the right side of the box and looked to catch Mignolet out with a thunderous strike towards the near post, but the Liverpool keeper was alert and turned the ball behind for a corner.
The hosts threatened again shortly afterwards when Adama Traore raced down the right flank before pulling the ball back into the middle for Adam Clayton, but Dejan Lovren was in the right place to block the subsequent shot.
It was Liverpool who had the final chance of the first half, though, and they were inches away from doubling their advantage heading into the interval when Sadio Mane drilled a low strike against the foot of the post before Origi rippled the side-netting with the rebound.
The visitors picked up where they left off in the second half, quickly taking control of the contest and creating three chances in the opening five minutes, but Mane was twice denied before Roberto Firmino nodded wide when Lallana was poised behind him.
Mane saw another effort blocked by Calum Chambers before Liverpool finally added a second goal on the hour mark, Origi applying the finishing touch to a swift one-touch passing move to net for the fifth match in a row.
Two quickly became three as Liverpool killed the match off as a contest, and it was roles reversed as Origi turned provider for Lallana, taking over from Mane before playing a low ball into the box that the England international fired home at the far post.
Liverpool comfortably saw the match out with minimum fuss after the third goal, becoming the first visiting team to beat Middlesbrough by more than one goal at the Riverside in over a year.
The win means that Liverpool remain six points behind league leaders Chelsea ahead of Monday's Merseyside derby against Everton, while Middlesbrough drop down to 17th in the table, just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Barney Corkhill
