Cole lights Blues' fire in time for final fling

Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea

With the FA Cup final looming next weekend, Chelsea's composure took a nasty knock before a ball had been kicked as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink limped out of the warm-up with his right boot in his hand. But 18-year-old Carlton Cole was summoned for his full debut and he led the line nervously – and scored his 38th goal of the season – as Chelsea brushed aside Middlesbrough's challenge with contemptuous ease.

"There's no problem with Jimmy," said Chelsea's manager Claudio Ranieri, who also rested Eidur Gudjohnsen. "He felt his calf tighten and I decided to preserve him for precaution and play the young lion Cole." The cub Cole made his debut earlier this month as a substitute against Everton and his prolific scoring with the reserves and youth teams led him to sign a five-year contract a fortnight ago with chairman Ken Bates prophesying he would one day play for England.

At 6ft 3in tall, Cole had a head start as he rose to Emmanuel Petit's free-kick, but he met it with such power that it arrowed from the edge of the area into the net off the underside of the bar. "There are only five players allowed on the bench next week so it's very difficult for me to fit him in," said Ranieri. "I hope I can because he deserves it."

Calmly, possibly lazily but certainly prettily, Chelsea played their way through Middlesbrough's first-half anger at having two "goals" disallowed in two minutes so that by the interval the visitors were in an impregnable two-goal lead.

Cole scored the first in the 38th minute and, after Jonathan Greening had spurned a glorious equalising opportunity by slipping when shooting, in the 42nd minute Marcel Desailly blocked Noel Whelan's shot and Chelsea broke with devastating speed. Boudewijn Zenden picked the ball up on the halfway line, Middlesbrough retreated and, when the Dutchman shot from the edge of the area, the ball deflected wickedly off Colin Cooper into the net.

To rectify a disappointing, if not dangerous, position, the Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren made three half-time changes. Dean Windass, Benito Carbone and Robbie Mustoe were replaced by Szilard Nemeth, Mickaël Debève and 17-year-old Stuart Downing, for his first home appearance.

Debève's creativity improved the home side, and they quickly won their first corners of the game, but, by the time he shot powerfully wide on the hour, the game was dead. Desailly, imperious in his indifference, swotted away a weak Boro attack that was again without Alen Boksic.

"We are obviously disappointed," said McClaren "there were a few turning points and I couldn't understand the second disallowed goal, and then they broke away and controlled the game."

In the 74th minute, after Gianfranco Zola and Mario Stanic had both flirted with Middlesbrough's side-netting, Cole ran a ring around Franck Queudrue and unleashed a left-foot drive that was too powerful for Mark Schwarzer in the Middlesbrough goal to hold. The youngster was then withdrawn in case he should be required for the final and his team-mates played out the remainder of the game at walking pace so the only risk to limb came from Paul Ince's ugly 89th-minute lunge at Frank Lampard.

Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 2
Cole 38, Zenden 43

Half-time: 0-2 Attendance: 28,686