Two clubs at opposite ends of the Championship's mood spectrum provided the most striking talking points on Saturday: Middlesbrough sitting pretty at the top, West Ham United wondering what on earth is happening on their own patch.

Lankshear: thirteen goals in thirteen games

Middlesbrough beat Charlton Athletic 3-0 to move two points clear at the summit, with Will Lankshear helping himself to two more goals. The summer signing, who arrived from Tottenham for a reported £20m, has now scored 13 times in 13 Championship starts. He has found the net in all but one of Boro's home fixtures this season, a record that would have felt fanciful in pre-season.

BBC Final Score pundit Aaron McLean, who flagged Lankshear as one to watch before the campaign began, is emphatic about what the striker's form means: "He's got something, that X-factor. Now he's showing exactly why Middlesbrough spent £20m on him."

McLean is equally clear, however, about the caveat that comes with the striker's rise. "The biggest thing for Boro is making sure they get promoted with him in order to keep him," he said. "The longer he keeps up this type of form, he's just giving himself a bigger price tag and a bigger reputation and before long, bigger clubs will be coming."

That is an uncomfortable truth for Riverside supporters to sit alongside the pleasure of watching a striker in this kind of form. Lankshear is not yet 25, and his value on the open market is climbing with every brace. Promotion, then, is not merely a sporting ambition: it is the most credible mechanism for keeping their prize asset in the building beyond the summer.

McLean stopped short of calling for an England call-up just yet. "For his progression, I don't think he needs to be thrown into that limelight yet. He just needs to make sure he has a good season, finish top goalscorer in the Championship, get himself into the Premier League and then those type of questions will be asked." Sensible counsel, and one suspects Middlesbrough's management would heartily agree.

West Ham: the London Stadium is no fortress

The view from the other end of the table, at least in terms of home form, is considerably grimmer. West Ham conceded three goals for the second successive Saturday, losing at home to West Bromwich Albion to record their third Championship defeat of the season, all of which have come in front of their own supporters at the London Stadium. They currently sit eighth.

McLean offered a pointed diagnosis: "West Ham just don't seem to be handling the pressure. The fanbase is very split in terms of whether they want Nuno Espirito Santo in charge but the thing you have to do when playing for West Ham in front of 60,000 fans is put in a performance."

The pattern is becoming difficult to dismiss as a run of bad luck. All three Championship defeats at the London Stadium this season have involved conceding early and failing to respond with sufficient urgency. Whether that is tactical naivety, a psychological block, or opposition sides simply reading the situation well is something the coaching staff need to work out quickly.

McLean's observation about the stadium itself is worth chewing over: "When you have a lovely stadium and playing surface, teams want to go there and enjoy it. If you make your home ground a fortress, that can work for you but at the moment, the London Stadium is not a fortress and teams are going there and enjoying the experience."

There is no small irony in West Ham's situation. The move to Stratford was, in part, sold to supporters on the premise of a grander home experience. In the Championship, that grand stage appears to be acting as an incentive for visiting sides rather than an intimidating backdrop for the hosts.

Jarrod Bowen has contributed seven league goals this season, which is no small return, but individual quality has not been enough to paper over the structural problems in West Ham's home performances. With the promotion picture beginning to take shape above them, Nuno Espirito Santo needs answers, and he needs them before the London Stadium becomes a byword for dropped points.

Frequently asked

How many Championship goals has Will Lankshear scored this season?
Will Lankshear has scored 13 Championship goals in 13 league games for Middlesbrough this season, following his brace against Charlton Athletic on 31 October 2026.
Why are West Ham losing at home in the Championship?
All three of West Ham's Championship defeats this season have come at the London Stadium. Pundits have pointed to a pattern of conceding early at home and a failure to impose themselves on opposing sides, with the atmosphere yet to work in the club's favour.
Where are Middlesbrough in the Championship table?
Middlesbrough are top of the Championship, sitting two points clear at the summit after their 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic.