Middlesbrough’s position worsened with a heavy 4-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
However, the visitors had to play for around seventy minutes with only ten-men after midfielder Gaston Ramirez received a couple of early bookings.
They were already two-goals in arrears with Josh King immediately on target and Benik Afobe next taking advantage of Charlie Daniels’ pass.
Marc Pugh then added another with more than an hour of the contest played and Daniels improved on that just five minutes later.
Boro were always in trouble when the in-form King turned into the net after Pugh linked up with Daniels inside two minutes.
Ramirez was soon cautioned for simulation before Afobe finished low past Brad Guzan as the visitors suddenly lost possession.
Alvaro Negredo’s reply was directly at Artur Boruc from the edge of the area while Ramirez was promptly dismissed after making a challenge.
Marten de Roon at least called Boruc into meaningful action from around twenty-yards, although it was Ryan Fraser narrowly off-target following the break.
Guzan then denied both Afobe and Fraser before Pugh curled past him on 65 minutes and into the bottom corner.
The situation was still to get worse for the visitors, though, as Daniels avoided a couple of opponents to make the scoreline even more emphatic despite a late miss from Afobe.
AFC Bournemouth: Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Fraser (Stanislas 72), Arter, Gosling (Cook 44), Pugh, King (Mousset 84), Afobe
subs (unused): Gradel, Allsop, Mings, Cargill
Goals: King (2), Afobe (16), Pugh (65), Daniels (70)
Middlesbrough: Guzan, Barragan (Forshaw 23), Ayala, Chambers, Gibson, Friend, Ramirez, de Roon (Fabio 38), Clayton, Downing, Negredo (Gestede 80)
subs (unused): Konstantopoulos, Bernardo, Stuani, Traore
Ref: G. Scott
Att: 10,890
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