The Blues lost the leg one of their Carabao Cup clash against the Championship side.
Middlesbrough defeated Chelsea 1-0 in their EFL Cup match on Tuesday. Wasteful Chelsea were punished by Boro’s solid defence at their home stadium.
What happened?
Chelsea struggled to find their feet in the game early on as Boro pushed for an opener. Following a few missed chances on both sides, the hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute. A brilliant counterattack saw Hayden Hackney converting an assist from Isaiah Jones inside the box to make it 1-0 for Boro.
The Blues looked much better in the second half, gradually increasing the pressure on Middlesbrough’s backline. However, their attacks fizzled out after a host of missed opportunities from Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer.
The two sides will meet again at Stamford Bridge to play the second leg on January 23.
Middlesbrough vs Chelsea: Man of the Match
Tom Glover deserves the Man of the Match title after a brilliant performance between Boro’s posts. The goalkeeper played a crucial role in Boro’s victory, making five saves to keep a clean sheet at Riverside Stadium.
Player Ratings
Middlesbrough: Glover (8); Engel (7), Van Den Berg (6), Fry (7), Bangura (6); Howson (5), Barlaser (7), Hackney (7); Jones (6), Lathe (-), Crooks (6).
Bench: Coburn (6), Clarke (7).
Chelsea: Petrovic (6); Gusto (6), Disasi (7), Thiago Silva (7), Colwill (6); Caicedo (7), Gallagher (7), Enzo (7); Madueke (7), Sterling (6), Palmer (5).
Bench: Mudryk (6), Broja (-), Gilchrist (-).
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