Hayden Hackney (centre) came through the Middlesbrough academy
Middlesbrough beat Stoke City with goals from Ben Doak and Hayden Hackney.
Doak, on loan from Liverpool, tapped in the loose ball after a save by Stoke keeper Viktor Johansson in the 34th minute and academy graduate Hackney scored with a screamer into the top corner in the second half.
It was new Potters boss Narcis Pelach's second successive defeat since his appointment two weeks ago.
Their third win of the season lifted Boro to eighth in the Championship table, while Stoke are 20th.
Stoke's willingness to pass the ball around at the back presented early opportunities for Boro as left-back Neto Borges' in-swinging ball for Australian Riley McGree was cut out in just the second minute, before hard-working striker Emmanuel Latte Lath guided a near-post header wide a couple of minutes later.
The Potters then responded with a big chance of their own in a 12th-minute counter-attack through Bae Jun-Ho, who was denied by the diving Seny Dieng.
Doak tormented the hapless Eric Bocat on the right-hand side and the Scot's efforts were rewarded on the 34-minute mark, tapping home a rebound after Johansson palmed away a McGree cross.
Stoke's Swedish international keeper Johansson was made to work hard, making seven saves in total, one of which was 10 minutes after half-time, flying to his left to tip a Latte Lath strike around the post.
Boro's eagerness to score a second resulted in an absolute scorcher in the 74th minute from Hackney, who ran through midfield to smash home.
Midfielder Finn Azaz could have added a third for Boro towards the end following a mix-up between substitute Michael Rose and Johansson, but it didn't matter as Michael Carrick's side saw out the remainder of the game to pick up their second home win of the season.
Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees:
"Ben's a terrific talent, he's a great character, he's desperate to come here and do well.
"I just felt it was a good time to start Ben in the game today and he's done probably as we would expect. That's the level of player he is. Hopefully there's more of that to come."
Stoke City boss Narcís Pelach:
"As I said last week against Hull City, we have to punish, we have to be ruthless when we have the chances.
"But we haven't in both games and in the opposite box they have been very clinical when they had the chances. There are a lot of things to do but we have to be patient of course."
