Albert Adomah hit the woodwork as Middlesbrough beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 in a top-of-the-table clash in the Championship.

Things are tight at the top of the second tier of English football, where seven clubs are battling for two automatic promotion spots and four play-off spots, all cultivating dreams of playing in the Premier League next term.

Victories for Norwich City and Bournemouth mean that Middlesbrough’s three points keep them out of the automatic promotion spots, but Aitor Karanka’s side once again demonstrated the offensive prowess and particularly, the defensive resiliency that will ensure they remain in the hunt for the top two spots all the way to the season’s conclusion.

Patrick Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, was once again the team’s outstanding individual, fully justifying his nomination for the football league young player of the year award.

Bamford created the assist for Jelle Vossen’s opener on three minutes, before himself firing home a delightful left-footed shot after a fine pass from another Chelsea loanee, Tomas Kalas.

Middlesbrough cruised through the rest of the match, with Adomah striking the bar as the Smoggies looked to extend their lead in front of over 20,500 at the Riverside Stadium.

However, it wasn’t a perfect evening for Karanka’s outfit, as an injured Adomah was replaced by Fernando Amorebieta on 80 minutes. Former Real Madrid and England defender Jonathan Woodgate was also substituted with a knock just after the hour mark, making for a costly three points for the North-East club.

According to WhoScored, Adomah attempted two shots during the match and contributed one key pass. He was also Boro’s best dribbler, but lost the ball three times.

The extent of the Ghana international’s injury remains to be seen, but Karanka and his team will be desperate for the Black Star to return for Friday evening’s heavyweight clash against Norwich City.