- Chelsea’s 6-2 aggregate victory against Middlesbrough has assured them a spot in the EFL Cup final.
- The Premier League team entered the second leg of their match against the Championship team down 1-0.
Chelsea’s 6-2 aggregate victory against Middlesbrough has assured them a spot in the EFL Cup final.
The Premier League team entered the second leg of their match against the Championship team down 1-0 following Boro’s unexpected victory at Riverside Stadium earlier this month.
But an own goal by Jonny Howson inside 15 minutes eliminated that gap, and Chelsea had all but guaranteed their trip to Wembley before halftime at Stamford Bridge.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s team raced into a 4-0 lead before halftime thanks to more goals from Cole Palmer, Axel Disasi, and Enzo Fernandez. Palmer and Noni Madueke scored two more goals in short succession late in the second half.
With only a few minutes of regular time remaining, Boro managed to claw back a goal and Morgan Rogers curled into a comforting smile. However, Michael Carrick’s players were thoroughly outclassed, their hopes of winning Wembley mercilessly dashed.
Noni Madueke. Photo/ Chelsea FC
Apart from the own goal that opened the score, the Championship club was mostly to blame for four of the goals, which came from them giving up possession when attempting to play out from the back.
Chelsea is only the second side in the tournament to score six goals in the second leg of a semi-final, and the 6-1 scoreline on the night ties the record for the biggest-ever EFL Cup semi-final second leg triumph.
After the first leg, in which they notably squandered three big chances, Pochettino’s hopes of winning a trophy in an otherwise challenging first season as manager appeared seriously threatened, but Chelsea were effective this time around and swiftly made up for their performance at the Riverside.
How the game unfolded
Even though the game’s first goal came from a red shirt, Chelsea played brilliantly to set up the goal. Raheem Sterling received a through pass from the fit-again Ben Chilwell, and he selflessly squared it to Armando Broja.
The striker, who has been linked to a transfer away from the team this month, was unable to control the ball right away; instead, in his rush to get it back, Howson was only able to deflect it.
Shortly after, Rogers had a chance to give Boro the lead again on aggregate, but he missed the mark with his attempt that was too near to Djordje Petrovic.
A half-hour later, Chelsea scored, and once more it was after a brilliant team play in which Sterling backheeled the ball to Disasi, who cut it back into the middle.
Chelsea didn’t appear to require assistance, but when they attempted to play out from the back, Middlesbrough made blunders that led to each of their next four goals.
Disasi scored the third goal for the hosts after stealing the ball on the halfway line and advancing to meet Sterling’s low cross. Disasi then finished with a first-time effort that went past the goalkeeper.
Five minutes later, Boro gave up the ball again on the outside of their box; this time, Palmer picked their pockets and stroked the ball into the bottom corner to make it 4-0 for the evening shortly before the break.
Palmer‘s second goal of the evening followed a similar script, with Conor Gallagher gaining control inside the opposition half, cutting the ball back for his countryman to complete the clinical finish 13 minutes from time.
Cole Palmer celebrates after scoring the fourth Photo/ Chelsea FC
Four minutes later, and despite the best attempts of Rav van den Berg on the line, Noni Madueke cut inside and blasted home the sixth goal of the evening, which was again created by Gallagher, who pounced on more careless play from Middlesbrough in their half.
A minute later, Matt Crooks flicked a header into the far corner, giving Boro the advantage at the opposite end of the game. Unfortunately, the offside flag cut short his celebrations.
However, there was still time for the away supporters to enjoy a consolation goal, as Rogers skillfully curled a late shot into the bottom corner to illustrate why Premier League teams want him.
Although the fans traveling to London were keen to enjoy their trip regardless of the outcome, Carrick and his team had nothing else to celebrate as Chelsea delivered a dominant win to go within one game of winning a sixth League Cup.
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