Chelsea cruises past Middlesbrough to secure League Cup final spot

This time, Chelsea held their place. Beaten by Middlesbrough in the semi-final first leg of the League Cup, the London club did not give the Championship resident any favors during the return contested at Stamford Bridge. Thanks in particular to a double from Cole Palmer, comfortable with both feet, the Blues crushed their opponents with a river score, at the end of a controlled game (6-1). They will therefore be playing a tenth final in this competition which they have won five times. And it will be a possible revenge on Liverpool, winner in 2022 against them and in a favorable tie against Fulham.

10 minutes: that’s how long it took Chelsea to get into their semi-final second leg. After which there was no further opposition. The men of Michael Carrick, three-time winner of the League Cup when he wore the Manchester United jersey, created an illusion with a good start. But they quickly exploded in mid-flight, notably by taking reckless risks during the relaunch. Initially struggling to build their actions, the Blues took advantage of the opposing gifts to punish. They fell behind thanks to an own goal from Jonny Howson, under pressure after a caviar from Raheem Sterling for Armando Broja (1-0, 15th).

Enzo Fernandez celebrates his goal

Credit: Getty Images

Chelsea made short work of Middlesbrough

This opening score completely freed Mauricio Pochettino’s players, who made the break thanks to Enzo Fernandez. The Argentinian followed well on a cross from Axel Disasi (2-0, 29th). The French defender then distinguished himself by finding himself at the conclusion of an action that he himself had initiated by springing on a too-soft ball release from Middlesbrough (3-0, 36th). Before the break, Cole Palmer invited himself to the party by taking advantage of a very bad back pass from Hayden Hackney (4-0, 42nd). 4 to 0 before starting the second act, suffice to say that the mass was said.

Returning from the locker room, Chelsea were quickly able to switch to management mode, faced with the magnitude of the score, of course, but also due to the lack of reaction from Middlesbrough. The gap division was felt too much in this return match and the Blues were even able to complete their offensive work. After scoring from the left, Palmer proved that he could also hit the mark with the right by taking a back cross from Conor Gallagher (5-0, 77th). In the process, Noni Madueke increased the bill with a deflected shot (6-0, 81st). In this nightmarish context, the reduction in the score signed by Morgan Rogers, who benefited from a relaxation of the Blues in defense, will seem anecdotal. At least it helped save honor in this meeting where Chelsea did what was expected of him.

2024-01-23 22:17:00
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