Bolton 4 Middlesbrough 1: Full time report
Middlesbrough's relegation woes increased as they were hit for four goals by Bolton at the Reebok Stadium to drift five points adrift of safety.
Kevin Davies put the hosts ahead with his 12th league goal of the season in only the eighth minute, only for Gary O'Neil to equalise seven minutes before half-time.
However, Gary Cahill fired home close to half-time before Matt Taylor and Ricardo Gardner added late goals, and with Blackburn and Stoke both winning the Teessiders face a daunting task if they are to survive with seven matches remaining.
Their away form is costing them dearly as this was their ninth successive defeat on the road, their worst run since the Second World War.
History suggested they would not get much at the Reebok, where they have not beaten Bolton in the Premier League.
Defensive lapses were the problem as, having got themselves back on level terms shortly before half-time, they handed the initiative back to Wanderers and never regained it.
Bolton have scored most of their goals this season in the first half of matches and it took just eight minutes for them to open their account.
Gardner was allowed to break free down the left all too easily by Matthew Bates, and when he curled a teasing cross into the six-yard box Emanuel Pogatetz failed to make a decisive move and Davies stabbed home his 12th league goal of the season.
After Danny Shittu's early booking, O'Neil should have been cautioned for going in late on Gavin McCann but he escaped with just a warning.
Robert Huth's foul on Davies 25 yards from goal gave Matt Taylor the perfect shooting opportunity in the 16th minute and Brad Jones had to be a full-stretch to tip over the free-kick.
Jones was certainly the busier goalkeeper and had to sprint out to just nick the ball away before the charging Gardner reached it in the penalty area in the 23rd minute.
