Will Lankshear scored twice as Middlesbrough beat West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside Stadium.

The in-form striker took his tally to six goals in five matches since being signed from Tottenham this summer.

Lankshear opened the scoring early in the second half - despite clearly being offside - and restored the hosts' lead after Jimmy-Jay Morgan's equaliser. The fit-again Alfie Jones added a late third for Kim Hellberg's side.

It ended Albion's unbeaten start to the Championship season and was their sixth consecutive defeat against Boro.

Follow live text coverage of Saturday's Championship action

Albion looked the better side for much of the first half, moving the ball around crisply and creating a decent chance when Felix Horn Myhre shot wide after being set up by Jayson Molumby.

Even so, Riley McGree had two opportunities for Boro, but sent a first-time effort wide after Isaac Price had given the ball away, and shot wide of the far post from the left-hand edge of the six-yard box after being teed up by Jeremy Sarmiento - who went off injured shortly before the interval.

Having been on the back foot for most of the first half, Boro went ahead three minutes into the second, when Lankshear netted after Morgan Whittaker's curling left-footed strike from the edge of the area came back off the post.

They were fortunate on two counts - not only did the ball bounce off grounded keeper Max O'Leary after hitting the woodwork, presenting Lankshear with a simple header into an unguarded net, but he was also in an offside position and the goal would certainly not have stood had VAR been in operation in the Championship.

Galvanised by their breakthrough, Boro kept up the pressure and O'Leary produced five saves to prevent an Ousmane Diakite own goal and keep out Callum Brittain's header.

Albion levelled when a slick move from right to left culminated in Price chipping the ball towards Morgan, who headed home his fourth goal in five matches since his recent move from Chelsea.

But Boro hit back, with Lankshear again pouncing after a save by O'Leary, firing home after Sebastian Berhalter had been denied.

And when Albion were unable to clear the lines after Kyle Joseph's scuffed effort, Luke Ayling's on-target shot was turned in by Jones.

Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg told BBC Radio Tees:

"I'm very happy. The second half was brilliant from us. And what a big win against a team that hadn't lost."

On what he said to his players at half-time: "Things that I cannot say on radio because of the language - I cannot swear!

"We talked about things. We weren't intense enough and structurally not good enough, and that's why the first half was not as good as we wanted.

"Then the second half was totally different. We could have scored six in that second half - it was chance after chance.

"We did a brilliant second half and were running over them. That's very strong from the boys."

West Brom manager James Morrison told BBC Radio WM:

"I think for large spells of the game we were in control. We had the better share of the first half without really creating too many clear opportunities.

"I was quite happy going in at half-time, but the timing of the goals — we've got to be better than that. The goals came too easily, even though they were offside. I think the linesman's got to do a better job.

"Overall I thought the performance was good. I think the crowd were getting frustrated - we were finding the spare men a lot and taking the ball in, which you have to do when you come to places like this."