Although Middlesbrough defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the first match of the English League Cup and was close to causing a huge sensation, the Blues left no doubts in the rematch. They scored six goals against their Championship rivals and advanced to the EFL Cup final.
When you play in the semi-final of the English League Cup and your most famous player is on the bench and it is not a player but a coach, it is difficult to count on promotion, especially since your rival is a team as successful as Chelsea. However, standing on the Middlesbrough sideline was not just anyone, but a man dealing with hopeless cases, unyielding, fiercely fighting, hard as a rock – Michael Carrick – once one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. Throughout his career, he won 18 different titles with Manchester United. However, even such a reliable player from his football career had his nemesis. Chelsea was like that for him in domestic cups.
Chelsea – Middlesbrough 6:1. The rematch left no doubts
During his football career, Carrick suffered double-digit defeats against only four clubs: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. However, no other team took its toll on him like the Blues did in the domestic cups. He did not win a single match against the Londoners in either the FA Cup or the EFL Cup. And it doesn’t matter whether the defensive midfielder played the entire match, sat on the bench, or watched his teammates’ fight on TV – it always ended in failure. The total balance is six losses and two draws. That’s why, when his Middlesbrough beat Chelsea in the semi-final of the English League Cup two weeks ago, he could have triumphed.
Unfortunately for him, this stage of the EFL Cup consists of a match and a rematch. And in the rematch at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea left no doubt who was better.
And although Carrick trained the team in the same way as at home, it was clearly visible that one team was in the Premier League and the other was in the middle of the Championship table. In addition, the Blues players responded in the best possible way to their manager’s words after the first meeting. Mauricio Pochettino defended his players, explaining that despite the defeat, he was proud of them, and that Middlesbrough simply failed in terms of effectiveness. This time everything ended up online.
Chelsea players had four shots on target before the break. They scored four goals. But there were definitely more opportunities to score, especially since Boro’s players were asking for trouble. How else can you explain the behavior of Daniel Barlaser, who lost the ball on the edge of his own sixteen, even though he was the last central defender at the time. Cole Palmer could do nothing else but put the ball in the second-league’s net. It was the fourth goal in the first half, because a moment earlier Hayden Hackney showed total passivity when receiving the ball and returning after missing the goal scorer Axel Disasi. A quarter of an hour after the referee’s first whistle, Jonathan Howson scored an own goal.
Broja worth 50 million? Probably 0.5 million pounds
However, it must be admitted that all these mistakes were forced by Chelsea’s well-disposed players. Ben Chilwell broke lines effectively while playing as a left back. Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer pressed very tightly. Raheem Sterling precisely served his teammates with passes from the right side of the field, and the already mentioned Disasi, playing behind the former Manchester City player, was involved in offensive actions from time to time. Almost everyone showed a very good performance. Almost, because despite scoring six goals, striker Armando Broja did not score any goals.
Just a few days ago, Matt Law – a journalist from The Telegraph – revealed that Chelsea valued the Albanian at £50 million. And if a scout watched the EFL Cup semi-final against Boro, he would think twice about spending not five, but half a million pounds for such a player. Sterling passed to Broja for an empty goal, which he took badly. However, his ass was saved by Howson, who was running up. The defender didn’t slow down and put the ball into his own net. A moment later, the English winger again provided excellent service to the striker, but the 22-year-old did not hit the ball cleanly. Fortunately for him, the action was closed by Fernandez, increasing the Blues’ lead.
If it weren’t for the help of his colleagues, Broja would be defeated again. For over an hour, the Albanian recorded only 14 touches with the ball, took one shot – missed, did not perform any successful dribbling and lost possession of the ball twice. And Chelsea can pull the wool over everyone’s eyes by telling them that the striker is worth £50 million, but no one will believe it.
However, this will be the least of the Blues’ worries in the coming days. They advanced to the final of the English League Cup, where they will face the winner of Liverpool – Fulham. Carrick, on the other hand, could feel like a footballer again. He received beatings from Chelsea in the domestic cup. However, these are not the memories he would like to cherish, although reaching the semi-finals with second-tier Middlesbrough can easily be considered a great success in his coaching career.
Chelsea – Middlesbrough 6:1 (4:0)
Bramki: Howson 15′ (sam.), Fernandez 29′, Disasi 36′, Palmer 42′ and 77′, Madueke 81′ – Rogers 88′
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