OXFORD boss Des Buckingham said clinical Middlesbrough "showed their quality" in their impressive dismantling of the U's on Saturday.

Buckingham admitted his side were second best at the Kassam Stadium but wasn't critical of the home players, instead praising Boro for their ruthlessness in front of goal.

Emmanuel Latte Lath hit a hat-trick, Finn Azaz got two and Tommy Conway struck from the bench as Boro sent a Championship statement with another emphatic victory.

Oxford had only lost once and conceded just five goals in eight home games before Boro ran riot, with Buckingham admitting: "That's the first team that have really opened up the scoreline against us for a long, long time."

It was Boro's third successive victory and moved Michael Carrick's side into the top six.

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Oxford went 1-0 up early on but Latte Lath struck from the spot after Ben Doak was fouled.

The U's looked to have had a glorious chance to get back in front after Mark Harris was played in one-on-one, only for Sol Brynn, on his Championship debut, to make a superb save. The keeper then played a starring role as he set Delano Burgzorg away in the build-up to the second goal. Boro never looked back.

Buckingham said: “It shows the ruthlessness that this league certainly has. They were very clinical in their finishing and were the better team for the majority of that game. We were in a good game for 30 or 35 minutes, and I thought we deserved to go one up, and then we had a 10-minute spell where they got the penalty, and then quickly got a second that put them in front, and ended it going into the half 3-1 up, and that shows how quick and clinical it can be.

"Middlesbrough really showed their quality. Even at 1-1, we had a wonderful chance with Mark Harris nearly going round the goalkeeper, and those moments change games.

"If that was every week, I’d be very concerned, but we just need to go back to what we’re very good at, and what we have been good at, and we’ll certainly make sure we do that for Tuesday.

"We have to get on with it. We’ve seen the quality of this league, and also of this Middlesbrough side. They’re on a decent run of form, hitting some big scorelines in recent games. Don’t get me wrong, nobody wants to come in and see a scoreline like that at all, but we won’t dwell on it.”