Middlesbrough beat Chelsea and are excited about this amazing record in the Carabao Cup

In the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final between Middlesbrough and Chelsea, the pressure was on The Blues. They were the favorites to get a win, as they are in a higher category than their rivals and have a star squad whose value is far superior to that of The Boro. But that advantage could be a problem if things didn't go their way, considering the criticism they could receive from the press and fans.

Knowing this, boss Mauricio Pochettino did not want to take any risks and brought to Riverside all the stars of the squad, such as Thiago Silva, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling. The Argentine manager was aware of the importance of Tuesday's game, as Chelsea are just three games away from a title.

But even those precautions were not enough for the Blues. They did not show a great performance at the Riverside and the match was more even than imagined. In fact, the hosts found a way to nullify their opponents' strengths, while creating a few chances to score. In one of them, 37 minutes into the first half, Hayden Hackney received the ball inside the box and netted the opener with a soft shot.

Chelsea had a few chances to score the equaliser, but lacked accuracy. Cole Palmer missed three chances during the first half that could have changed the story. After the break they were no longer as imaginative and could not break through the Boro's defensive barriers. The 1-0 defeat will force them to win the second leg, which will be played at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, January 23.

They have reason to be hopeful

Middlesbrough achieved a memorable victory on Tuesday. Not only did they beat a Premier League team, but they did it despite missing several important players: some of them through injury and others because they were called up by their respective national teams for the Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup. Boro's performance during the Carabao Cup has been excellent: they won all 6 matches they played, against Huddersfield, Bolton, Bradford, Exeter, Port Vale and Chelsea. Now they only need two more wins to win the title.