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Will Lankshear looks worth his weight in gold as he fires Middlesbrough through in the cup Middlesbrough verdict as they beat Wrexham in the Carabao Cup The early signs look extremely positive for Will Lankshear being worth his weight in gold for Middlesbrough, as his goal fired them into the second round of the Carabao Cup. A big-money, priority summer signing from Tottenham, the striker has already transformed the look of Boro’s attack - based on the evidence of this excellent debut, and his friendly appearances. And for a side who struggled so much with taking opportunities last season, it was fitting that Lankshear got off the mark immediately for Boro, as they beat Wrexham 1-0, to kick their new season off with a cup win. Boro handed full debuts to three of their summer signings, as Max Arfsten, Sebastain Berhalter and Lankshear all started. Kyle Joseph would later come off the bench, but Aidan Morris missed out as he was added to Boro’s already big injury list. It was a back four that Boro went with, as Malanda stepped into midfield. While the experiment hasn’t always worked in the past, the Frenchman looked tidy in this one. Profiting from Lankshear’s presence in the final third as a focal point, Boro played off him often, popping it into his feet and feeding off the big man’s flicks. There were a lot of lovely moves and nearly moments, but very clear-cut chances in the opening 45 minutes from Boro. In fact, it was Malanda who came closest in just the seventh minute when Berhalter played a corner short with Morgan Whittaker before delivering a peach of a cross. As Lankshear just missed it, Malanda arrived behind him, but keeper Danny Ward made the block. Boro were largely dominating and pushing Wrexham back. But with their makeshift back four, there were warning signs that they could be stretched. A couple of crosses may have been met and turned home by unmarked players if they were just that yard sharper. Boro did have two penalty claims in an eventful first half too. Having been penalised as the attacking side for holding - something the EFL have said officials will be stricter on this season - both Jeremy Sarmiento and Luke Ayling were not so fortunate when their shirts were clearly pulled in the area. Boro had a bit of a wobble as half-time approached and had Sol Brynn to thank for going in level at the break. Caught open as Nathan Broadhead spun off Ayling, he played in Sam Smith. But Brynn was quickly off his line and made himself big enough to apply the block and deny the visitors. Moments later, Lankshear’s positive half was almost rewarded when he displayed his hold-up play. Spinning off his marker as he laid it wide to Brittain, he burst into the box and got on the end of the cross. It was just a fraction too high as he headed over, to leave the scores level at the interval. It wasn’t the most convincing of starts to the second half for Boro. Their defensive vulnerabilities were on show again as they were almost caught out twice early on but managed to get away with it. As things appeared to slow down in the second half, Boro were still the side looking to take the game to their opponents. Having spent much of last season lacking a goalscorer, they were rewarded as the clock struck 60 minutes for going out this summer and addressing it early. After a positive display of general centre-forward play, Lankshear was rewarded for his efforts as he got off the mark in a Boro shirt in some style. Sarmiento stepped inside before hanging up a cross beyond the back post. The new boys then combined as Berhalter headed inside to Lankshear, who produced an acrobatic volley into the far corner. It wasn’t long after Boro’s opener that the visitors were flexing their might as far as squad options were concerned. As Hellberg brought Edmundson and Joseph on - his only senior outfield subs, Wrexham were able to introduce Kieffer Moore, Bailey Cadamarteri, Ben Whiteman and Davis Keillor-Dunn. Despite that, there was an element of calmness to the way Boro saw out the game, as Wrexham’s subs failed to inspire any sign of an equaliser. At the other end, Joseph looked busy and almost created a late second for Boro when a challenge on him saw a loose ball fall to Whittaker, who smashed one off the post. The second goal wasn’t needed in the end. While the Carabao Cup is by no means a priority for Boro, getting off and running with a win, and a goal for Lankshear, is about as good as this night could have gone. Some teething issues and balance to work on as new players gel. But many positives as all the focus switches to Lincoln City and the important Championship kick-off next weekend. Starting XI: Brynn, Brittain, Ayling, Borges, Arfsten (Edmundson 67’), Malanda, Berhalter, Whittaker (Ibeh 90'), Castledine, Sarmiento (Joseph 67’), Lankshear (Cartwright 81’). Subs not used: Dieng, McLaughlin, Dede, Daley, McCabe. ------------- Get Teesside Live Premium now for just £1 HERE – exclusive Boro news and features, transfer notebooks, comment and analysis from Eric Paylor, plus an ad-lite experience Join our WhatsApp community to get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. Your information will be hidden, you'll only ever receive messages from the Teesside Live sports team, and you can leave any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.