Middlesbrough striker Patrick Bamford scored the first hat-trick of his professional career as Leeds United produced an inept performance at the Riverside Stadium.
Bamford scored twice in five minutes just past the half hour mark in the game and he completed his hat-trick halfway through the second half as Leeds diminishing hopes of reaching the play-offs look over after a poor display.
A tight first half hour sprang to life on 31 minutes when Bamford got ahead of Pontus Jansson to steer the ball home.
Five minutes later, a surging run by Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore, saw him play in Bamford, to smash home his second goal.
Leeds made two changes at half time as they looked for a way back into the game and they wasted a good chance in the first ten minutes in the second half when Jansson could only head wide of the target when he was found unmarked in the area.
Bamford completed his hat-trick on 69 minutes when he controlled a deflected shot from Traore, to calmly stroke the ball home.
Leeds offered very little threat in attack all evening as their chances of reaching the play-offs this season, went out with a whimper.
Teams
Middlesbrough
Randolph, Shotton, Ayala, Gibson, Friend, Besic, Leadbitter (Clayton 44), Howson, Traore, Downing, Bamford (Cranie 90)
Subs not used
Konstantopoulos, Fry, Baker, Harrison, Assombalonga
Leeds United
Wiedwald, Anita, Cooper, Jansson, Berardi, O’Kane (Ekuban 69), Phillips (Vieira 45), Dallas, Saiz, Lasogga, Alioski (Forshaw 45)
Subs not used
Peacock-Farrell, De Bock, Pennington, Sacko
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