Middlesbrough continued their excellent form on Saturday afternoon, beating Blackpool 3-0 at The Riverside Stadium.

A brace from Chuba Akpom, including a stunning opening goal, along with Paddy McNair's first of the season, was enough to secure a emphatic three points for Michael Carrick's side.

That result means that 'Boro are currently third in the Championship table, though they are ten points off the automatic promotion places, having played a game more than second placed Sheffield United.

As a result, there will be plenty for Carrick to think about in the wake of his side's latest win, over the Seasiders.

So with that in mind, we've taken a look at three things we learned about Middlesbrough from their victory over Blackpool, right here.

Chuba Akpom is having the season of his life

It had looked as though Akpom was facing an uncertain future at 'Boro in the summer, with the club searching for new strikers, following the 27-year-old's loan spell in Greece last season.

But having remained at the club, the former Arsenal man has produced a remarkable campaign, with his double on Saturday taking him to 16 league goals this season, four more than any other player in the Championship.

It is also twice as many as Akpom's previous highest scoring season, while we are still only in February, meaning you feel this is a campaign he will never want to forget, while the fact he stayed at the Riverside, has turned into an inadvertent masterstroke for Middlesbrough.

They cannot afford to get complacent

While a 3-0 scoreline may make this look like a comfortable win for Middlesbrough, that was not always the case on Saturday.

With the score at 1-0, Blackpool had both a goal disallowed for a tight-looking offisde, and rattled the woodwork of 'Boro 'keeper Zack Steffen's goal, meaning things could have played out differently had it not been for those fine margins.

This therefore, could also be seen as a reminder to 'Boro, that although they are in excellent form right now, the Championship is still a league that can hurt you from anywhere, so they can ill afford to take their foot off the gas.

What might have been

Middlesbrough have been in excellent form ever since Michael Carrick took charge back in October, and have now climbed to third in the Championship table.

However, given their lowly position when he was appointed, that does mean they are still ten points behind Sheffield United in the race for automatic promotion, having played a game more than the Blades.

Consequentially, it still looks a huge ask for 'Boro to claim a top two spot, meaning there may be some around the club, wondering if things could have been rather different, had Carrick been in charge from the start of the campaign.