Middlesbrough Championship Club Beats Chelsea In The First Semifinals Of The Carabao Cup

Middlesbrough beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first semifinal of the Carabao Cup. (X/@ChelseaFC)

JAKARTA - Championship Division Middlesbrough club opens opportunities for the Carabao Cup final. In the semifinal match at Sungestar Stadium, Wednesday, January 10 in the morning WIB, Boro won 1-0. However, Boro still had to play his second match at Chelsea's home before making sure to the final.

The surprise at the Carabao Cup even though Middlesbrough has yet to confirm it to the final. The two teams met again on January 23, 2024. Chelsea, who acted as the host, must be able to catch a goal deficit in a duel at Stamford Bridge Stadium.

Although the Blues' chances to the final have not been closed, Boro's defeat has become a stain for manager Mauricio Pochettino.

This is because for the first time in 25 years Chelsea have lost to the bottom division team at the Carabao Cup. At that time Chelsea were forced to surrender by Hudderfield in October 1999.

On the other hand, Boro's surprise continued. Especially after they became the only second division team to stay in the Carabao Cup. Another semifinal match brings together two Premier League teams, Liverpool against Fulham.

Despite playing in the lower division, Boro is actually an opponent Chelsea should take into account. The reason is that Michael Carrick's team also almost made a surprise in the FA Cup. They almost forced Aston Villa's replay before losing 1-0 in the third half.

In the match against Boro, who is currently struggling on the central board of the Championship, Chelsea actually dominates the game. The visitors showed dominance with a ball session reaching 72%.

This means that the ball rolls more often at the feet of Chelsea players. They also took 18 shots into the net. Compared to Boro, who only threatened the West London club's goal six times.

Even striker Cole Palmer has two good chances that could have been converted into a goal throughout the first half. But he failed to take advantage of that opportunity.

On the other hand, Boro's effective game, who had won the Carabao Cup in 2004, actually gave positive results. In the 37th minute, midfielder Hayden Hackney successfully broke into the Chelsea goal which was guarded by second goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

The goal started with Jones' bait which was then well completed by this 21-year-old Hackney. The 1-0 score lasted until the end of the first half.

Namun ini ternyata juga menjadi satu-satunya gol yang diciptakan di laga tersebut. Chelsea kesulitan membuka gawang rumah sampai menit akhir pertandingan. Akibatnya, suporter yang datang ke Sungailan pun sempat menyajek tim sendiri.

Despite losing in the first leg, Pochettino is optimistic that Chelsea will be able to turn things around in the second match. He also admitted that the team made a mistake and failed to score.

"We made a mistake because we gave them a chance to score. In addition, they are indeed a tough couple. We actually had a chance to score a goal to keep failing to do so," said Pochettino.