Chelsea vs Middlesbrough LIVE: Carabao Cup result and reaction after Cole Palmer scores twice

Chelsea will look to overturn their first-leg deficit to book a spot in their ninth League Cup final at Wembley

Pochettino on Chelsea needing to turn round EFL Cup semi-final ahead of second leg against Middlesbrough

The first finalists for this season’s Carabao Cup final has been decided, after Chelsea beat Middlesbrough with a thoroughly convincing performance and an eventual 6-1 scoreline, for 6-2 on aggregate. It was the Championship side who secured a slender 1-0 advantage in their home half of the tie but they couldn’t keep pace once the Blues got started.

A clinical performance saw Jonny Howson’s early own goal added to by Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, Cole Palmer twice and Noni Madueke, before a late consolation goal from Morgan Rogers. The Blues will now face a late February date against either Fulham or Liverpool in the final.

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CARABAO CUP SEMI-FINAL LIVE

• The Championship side secured a narrow 1-0 home win in the first leg
• Chelsea XI: Petrovic, Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell, Caicedo, Enzo, Palmer, Mudryk, Sterling, Broja
• Middlesbrough: Glover, Van den Berg, Barlaser, Clarke, Howson, Forss, Engel, Fry, Hackney, Rogers, Crooks
• Goal! - Howson puts through his own net to level the tie on aggregate (1-0)
• Goal! Enzo Fernandez on the half-hour mark has Chelsea ahead in the tie (2-0)
• Goal! Disasi sweeps home a third in the first half for Blues (3-0)
• Goal! Palmer rolls in another after a defensive error (4-0)
• Goal! Palmer side-foots in his second after routine second half (5-0)
• Goal! Madueke immediately bends in another for six (6-0)
• Goal! Rodgers pulls one back for Boro late on (6-1)
• Report: Chelsea 6-1 Middlesbrough

[23 January 2024 19:26 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough - LIVE

Michael Carrick has urged Middlesbrough supporters to dream of Carabao Cup glory, even if he is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

Head coach Carrick, 42, will send his Championship side into their semi-final, second-leg battle with Premier League Chelsea on Tuesday evening knowing they could be just 90 minutes away from Wembley and in with a chance of repeating their 2004 triumph.

Carrick, who enjoyed a glittering playing career during which he won 12 major trophies with Manchester United, insists he and his players must treat the occasion like any other match, but can understand the excitement of the club’s supporters.

He said: “Part of football is creating hopes and dreams and the passion and excitement, the dream, the fairytale. I was exactly the same when I was purely a supporter. That is what it should be.”

[23 January 2024 19:20 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough - LIVE

Joe Cole has thrown his weight behind Mauricio Pochettino ahead of a critical week for Chelsea.

The Blues are languishing ninth in the Premier League and trail fourth-placed Aston Villa by 12 points, but turn their focus to the domestic cups this week.

Championship Middlesbrough visit Stamford Bridge on Tuesday holding a one-goal advantage in the Carabao Cup semi-final while Villa await on Friday in an FA Cup fourth-round tie, but Cole does not believe this week is make-or-break for Pochettino.

[23 January 2024 19:14 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough - LIVE

Recent form is an odd one, for Chelsea at least. The Premier League club have been improved of late with just one blip in the last five: away to Boro, of course.

But wins over Crystal Palace, Luton, Preston and Fulham - the latter since that loss at the Riverside - does show they are finding some consistency of victories.

For Boro, since the first-leg win they’ve won at Millwall and drawn at home to Rotherham, leaving them mid-table in the Championship - though only three points off the play-off spots.

They came into the first leg having lost successive fixtures to Coventry and Aston Villa, the latter in the FA Cup.

[23 January 2024 19:08 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough - LIVE

Worth a reminder of what we’re facing then: Boro won the first leg 1-0, so Chelsea need a win tonight at the very least to avoid elimination. If Boro don’t lose, they are into the final.

If it’s a one-goal win for the Blues, we’ll go to extra time, and penalties if needed beyond that 30 minutes.

There are no away goals in the EFL Cup semis.

Additionally, remember we have no VAR in these games, as it’s not installed at Boro’s home ground.

[23 January 2024 19:07 · Karl Matchett]

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough - LIVE

Starting lineups:

Chelsea: Petrovic, Disasi, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell, Caicedo, Enzo, Palmer, Mudryk, Sterling, Broja

Middlesbrough: Glover, Van den Berg, Barlaser, Clarke, Fry, Hackney, Rogers, Howson, Forss, Crooks, Engel

[23 January 2024 18:56 · Karl Matchett]

Kalvin Phillips to end Man City nightmare with Premier League loan move

Manchester City have agreed to loan Kalvin Phillips to West Ham United for the rest of the season.

The move is not yet complete but the midfielder is set to join the Hammers to try and boost his chances of retaining his place in the England squad for Euro 2024.

There could be an option for West Ham to buy Phillips in the summer in the final deal but for now the two clubs are ready to conclude a straight loan move.

Phillips had also attracted interest from a host of other clubs, including Juventus, Newcastle and Crystal Palace, but West Ham saw off competition for his signature.

[23 January 2024 18:49 · Karl Matchett]

Mauricio Pochettino puts Stamford Bridge apathy down to last season’s struggles

Mauricio Pochettino believes Chelsea’s struggles last season are responsible for the apathy observed at Stamford Bridge during home games under his tenure.

The team won just three Premier League games at home in the first 11 months of 2023 under managers Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor, Frank Lampard and Pochettino.

Between January and the beginning of December they scored 18 goals in 19 games, though four came in a single, frenetic draw with Manchester City in the final match of that run.

Since then their form in west London has improved markedly. They are unbeaten since losing to Brentford on October 28 and have won four consecutive games, their best run at home in the league since winning six in a row during Lampard’s first spell, either side of the 2020 Covid shutdown.

[23 January 2024 18:42 · Karl Matchett]

Raheem Sterling reveals his vegan curry recipe as footballers cut out the meat

Raheem Sterling has revealed his recipe for a vegan curry as part of the Green Football Weekend campaign.

Professional footballers – from Lionel Messi to Hector Bellerin – are increasingly cutting down the amount of meat and animal products in their diet. It’s all in a bid to stay healthy and on the pitch for as long as possible, and it could be having a trickle-down effect to the fans.

This doesn’t mean the whole Premier League has gone vegan, but it’s raising awareness around stepping-stones that can help both your health and the environment.

[23 January 2024 18:35 · Karl Matchett]

Premier League ‘yet to offer’ financial deal to EFL but have spent extra £500m on wages

The Premier League has committed almost half a billion pounds extra to player wages rather than the £285m to the wider pyramid from the deal offered in 2021, according to English Football League chair Rick Parry.

The figure was outlined as the football governance bill enters its “absolute final stages”, according to the government, with the expectation of being passed into law before Easter. That will bring the establishment of an independent regulator, that will have backstop powers to force the Premier League into a deal, that the EFL wants at a 75-25 split. The top division has as yet made no offer, as it has also developed a cumulative wage bill that is £2bn more than any of the four other major leagues in Europe.

The argument made at an EFL dinner event was that Premier League clubs are working against their own interests in not agreeing a deal since 14 of the competition’s clubs have not been fixed members at an average of 13 years in the division, and so many of its players come through the pyramid. Fortifying that is the view that the advantage over the rest of Europe is now so great that there isn’t even the same competitive necessity, which is why more can be done to help the wider pyramid.

Miguel Delaney’s feature:

[23 January 2024 16:14 · Ben Fleming]

Good evening

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg between Chelsea and Middlesbrough. It’s the Championship side who have the slender advantage after the first leg, with Michael Carrick’s side picking up a 1-0 win at the Riverside.

However, the Mauricio Pochettino’s, whose defeat to Boro was their only loss in their last five games, will be confident of overturning the one-goal deficit and making their way to their ninth League Cup final at Wembley next month.

It’s bound to be an intriguing affair at Stamford Bridge, so stay with us for all the build-up, team news, match updates and reaction!