Burton Albion through to Carabao Cup semi-finals after Jake Hesketh strike sinks Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough 0-1 Burton Albion: Hesketh fired the League One side into the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in their history
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Your support makes all the difference.Burton Albion ensured that the romance of the cup remains very much alive as they stunned Middlesbrough to seal their place in the last four.
Albion boss Nigel Clough has developed a reputation as something of a specialist in this competition having been in charge of Sheffield United, the last previous team from the third tier of English football to reach the semi-finals of the EFL Cup four years ago.
Burton, who have been in the league for only 10 years, had previously not progressed beyond the third round, but after riding an early storm which looked likely to lead to a comfortable win for the hosts, the League One side were good value for a victory secured by a 48th minute goal from on-loan Southampton midfielder Jake Hesketh.
Middlesbrough were left with a feeling of what might have been, most notably when Aden Flint should have levelled with eight minutes remaining, only for the unmarked defender to somehow head wide from virtually under the crossbar from a Marcus Tavernier cross.
It means the Teessiders came up short to stretch their winless run to five games as their pre-Christmas wobble beings to take on worrying proportions for manager Tony Pulis, whose side were jeered off by a meagre 17,000 crowd - a reaction in stark contrast to the jubilant celebrations among Burton's vociferous travelling support at the final whistle.
Boro, who made half-a-dozen changes to their opponents' two, were made to pay for failing to take a plethora of early openings.
Pulis' side were swiftly in the ascendency in a first-half of near total dominance, which should have arguably seen them out of sight inside half an hour, although it was Burton who spurned the clearest opening as the interval approached, when an unmarked Marcus Harness curled a shot over from 15 yards at the culmination of an incisive Scott Fraser-inspired counter-attack down the left flank.
With Stewart Downing able to fire off probing passes from a central midfield role almost at will, Burton were regularly at full stretch in their attempts to stem the incessant flow of pressure prompted by the former influential England midfielder, the only member of the Middlesbrough squad to lift this trophy 14 years ago to remain at the Riverside Stadium.
Other than a weak far post header from defender Ben Turner, which was comfortably gathered by Darren Randolph, what little possession the visitors could muster was often surrendered by poor passing, and easily mopped up by recalled skipper Grant Leadbitter, who provided a formidable barrier in front of the Middlesbrough back four, and the perfect foundation from which to allow Downing as much of the ball as possible.
Only a fine save from Bradley Collins prevented the ex-Liverpool and Aston Villa winger from breaking the deadlock with a swerving 25 yard free-kick midway through the first half, with the busy Burton goalkeeper also excelling to beat out Lewis Wing's angled drive, before standing strong at his near post to stop a well struck low shot from Jordan Hugill, with captain Jake Buxton blocking the follow-up from the forward, who had sprung a leaky-looking offside trap.
Middlesbrough failed to heed the warning of Harness going close as Burton took the lead three minutes into the second half. Fraser took advantage of some lax marking to release Allen into the area, and when the midfielder's shot from a narrow angle came back off the post, Hesketh slid in to dispossess Mo Besic before finding the bottom corner with a precise first-time shot.
In a total role reversal to the first 45 minutes, Harness almost doubled the lead with a deflected effort from inside the area, while only a last-gasp tackle from centre-back Danny Batth prevented the hugely impressive Fraser from having a simple opportunity to put the ball beyond Randolph from inside the six-yard box.
The missed opportunities failed to prove costly, and with John Brayford putting in an immense display in a fine rearguard action, Burton, Flint's inexplicable late miss aside, held out with relative ease to deservedly take their place in Wednesday's semi-final draw alongside some of the biggest names in English football.
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