Michael Carrick hailed Middlesbrough history-maker Chuba Akpom after the striker ended a 33-year-wait for a 20-goal striker on Teesside.
Akpom became the first Boro striker to score 20 league goals in a season since Bernie Slaven in 1989-90 as he set Carrick’s side on the road to a 5-0 dismantling of Reading at the Riverside Stadium with a first-half penalty.
The Sky Bet Championship’s top scorer bagged a brace, taking his tally to the season for 21 – and sacrificed the opportunity to score a hat-trick when he allowed Marcus Forss to take a second Boro penalty and score their fifth of the afternoon.
Aston Villa loanee Aaron Ramsey also bagged a double for the hosts, who closed the gap to second-placed Sheffield United to four points after the Blades lost at Blackburn.
“It’s a terrific achievement,” said Carrick of Akpom hitting and then moving beyond the 20-goal mark.
“It’s not easy to score that many goals. He’s scored all different type of goals for us since I’ve been here. I thought his performance was fantastic.
“He gets credit for his goals but his performance all round was terrific. And because we have threats in different areas, he ends up getting a bit more space. To score that many goals, hopefully he can carry on and set a new target for himself.”
Akpom set Boro on their way to a comfortable victory from the spot before Ramsey added a second in first-half stoppage time.
The first-half scorers both helped themselves to a second as Boro flew out of the blocks in the second half, before Akpom allowed Forss to take a penalty that the former Brentford striker had won.
Carrick said: “It’s just being a team player, credit to him for that. Not many would have done that, but he understands it’s about the squad, all the boys being in a good frame of mind.
“His first penalty was a good one and it would have been easy for him to grab it but he understands how grateful Marcus was to have a chance to score.”
It is now seven league wins in a row for Boro at home, who bounced back after suffering defeat at West Brom last week.
Reading, meanwhile, have lost five league games on the bounce away from home, but boss Paul Ince was left furious with referee Keith Stroud.
Ince criticised Stroud’s decision to award Boro’s penalty for an Andy Yiadom handball and felt the Royals should have had a spot-kick of their own when Shane Long went down in the box under the challenge of Tommy Smith when the score was 1-0.
Ince said: “It was tough afternoon, but it wouldn’t have been if the referee had the coolness to make the right decisions.
“I never like to blame referees but he gives two decisions that change the game. Listen, they are a great team, but I thought we did well in the first 15 minutes to quieten the crowd.
“Then he gives the penalty from two yards when his hands are by his side. But the lads reacted well and we should have a penalty. It’s a stonewall, and not only is it a penalty it’s a red card. They were diabolical decisions and that left us chasing the game.”
