Tuesday’s first leg of Chelsea’s League Cup semi-final against second-tier Middlesbrough ended in an unexpected 1-0 defeat for the Blues, with Mauricio Pochettino’s wasteful team having a lot of work to do in response to a goal by Hayden Hackney.
In the 37th minute, Isaiah Jones’ deft finish set up the 21-year-old Hackney to startle the visitors at Riverside Stadium. The hosts then played excellent defense to take a narrow lead at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea, on the other hand, only had themselves to blame as they controlled possession but wasted several opportunities, with Cole Palmer being the main offender as he missed the mark twice in the first half with the goal gaping.
Boro, who took home the title in 2004 but are now 12th in the Championship, had opportunities to extend their advantage on the counterattack, but they will still go to London with the belief that they can make it to Wembley.
Thiago Silva served as a mediator when some of Chelsea’s own supporters jeered the players at the conclusion of the match, but they will be optimistic of making up for it in the second leg on January 23. On Wednesday, Liverpool will play Fulham in the first leg of the other semifinal match.
Chelsea’s unimpressive first year under manager Rafael Pochettino has been characterized by one stride forward and two steps back, and their defeat against Michael Carrick’s injured Boro on Tuesday served as a perfect illustration of the issues they are facing.
They made eighteen efforts at goal, most of which came in the first half, but they were exposed often in defense and lacked quality in front of goal.
“We made some mistakes in the first half and gave them chances to score,” Spurs manager Fernando Maverick said to Sky Sports after his team’s ninth loss overall.
“They played with a deep block and more aggressive after that, making it difficult for us to break them down. However, we still have ninety minutes left, so we must remain optimistic.
It was a memorable evening for former Manchester United and England midfielder Carrick, as well as the boisterous home fans.
“I know it’s a two-legged affair and it’s still all to play for but with all we’ve had to go through with injuries and setbacks to beat a team with Chelsea’s quality is unbelievable,” Carrick said. “It was an exceptional effort.”
After leading 1-0 from the start, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alex Bangura both hobbled out, forcing Boro to make early substitutions.
After Jonny Howson gave Palmer the ball, Palmer wasted the opportunity to put Chelsea ahead.
A few minutes later, Boro grabbed the lead thanks to a brilliant move by the energetic Jones, who managed to cling onto a long pass, trick Chelsea left back Levi Colwill, and square the ball for Hackney to put it past Djordje Petrovic from close range.
In stoppage time in the first half, Palmer squandered a further opportunity as Boro keeper Tom Glover was unable to save a shot by Enzo Fernandez.
Palmer was again denied before the half ended, this time by shooting too slowly and then firing too near to Glover, who had an outstanding performance.
In the second half, Chelsea dominated possession of the ball but lacked the cunning to penetrate Boro’s crimson wall.
“That has happened this season and there has been a lot of games we have not won because we are not clinical enough,” Pochettino said.