Middlesbrough vs Chelsea LIVE: Carabao Cup semi-final result and reaction after huge first-leg shock

No club more than Chelsea understands what winning the Carabao Cup can do to a Blues manager’s career, having seen the competition kickstart Jose Mourinho’s ascension to the pantheon of coaching greats.

A semi-final draw with a midtable Championship team gave Maurico Pochettino the perfect opportunity to continue his such journey, even if Chelsea in their current guise are operating in a different realm to Mourinho’s Premier League 2004-05 champions elect.

Yet, after seeing his side slip to a shock first-leg defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside, the Argentine can only look at himself when the dust has settled on another defeat that leaves the Blues faithful doubting whether their side will ever overcome their dizzying struggles with inconsistency this season.

By Pete Hall at the Riverside

Mauricio Pochettino said he could “understand” the anger of the Chelsea fans after his players were booed off the pitch by the travelling supporters at the Riverside following a dismal 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

Sections of the Chelsea away end were furious at full time and Pochettino’s team were jeered as they attempted to make their way to applaud them after the final whistle. Thiago Silva was involved in heated discussions with some fans, although the veteran defender was mostly applauded by the Chelsea supporters after he was only one of three players - along with Levi Colwill and Armando Broja - who stayed to show their appreciation.

It came at the end of a woeful night for Pochettino and his players as Hayden Hackney handed Championship side Middlesbrough a first-leg lead to take to Stamford Bridge in 15 days time. Cole Palmer missed a hat-trick of first-half chances for the Blues, who failed to create any further opportunities after the break despite dominating possession against Michael Carrick’s team.

The result was Chelsea’s 21st away defeat in all competitions since the start of last season - no other team has lost more among Premier League sides - and Pochettino, who has only been in charge since the start of the season, said he could appreciate why the Chelsea supporters were so frustrated at full time.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, speaking to Sky Sports: “Today, the approach was good. We can’t say anything about the attitude but we made mistakes in the first half and gave chances for them to score. They were aggressive and played on the transition. It was hard to break down this block.

“We had too many chances to score and that’s football. It’s only the first half of the tie and we have another 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge so we have to be positive.

“We made some mistakes and we were punished for that. We have to keep pushing as if we assess the performance, overall we were the better side, created clear chances. We weren’t clinical and that’s happened a lot in the six months across many games.

“We have 15 days [before the second leg] so we can recover some players. We’re now thinking about Fulham and we will move on.”

2023 was a dismal year for Chelsea. 2024 isn’t off to a great start, either.

It looks and sounds as if the Chelsea players were booed by the away end as they went over after full time.

Thiago Silva looked to stay and have a word with some of the fans, who applaud the Brazilian.

But the rest of the Chelsea team were long gone.

Incredible result for Middlesbrough! Hayden Hackney’s first-half goal was enough and after a series of misses from Cole Palmer, Chelsea created absolutely nothing after the break!

Middlesbrough will head to Stamford Bridge with a first-leg lead. They couldn’t have asked for more.

90+4 mins: Foul in the box... Middlesbrough free kick!

And that’s it! Middlesbrough beat Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals!

90+3 mins: Mudryk swings in a cross to the back post and Gilchrist gets his head to it... deflected out for a late corner!

One last chance for Chelsea?

90+2 mins: Chelsea look to break forward but Clarke is able to take a chance with his challenge, before the hosts thump the ball away.

90 mins: There will be FOUR added minutes.