Chelsea reached the Carabao Cup final after clinching a commanding 6-2 aggregate victory over second-tier Middlesbrough.
The team from the Championship went to Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
However, Chelsea scored four goals in the first half. Jonny Howson scored an own goal, Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer all scored goals.
Palmer’s second goal and Noni Madueke’s goal completed the rout. Morgan Rogers scored a consolation goal to make the loud away fans happy.
Chelsea will play either Liverpool or Fulham at Wembley on February 25. On Wednesday, the second leg of their semi-final match between Liverpool and Fulham will be played at Craven Cottage. The Reds are currently ahead 2-1 in the tie.
After 15 minutes, Mauricio Pochettino’s team tied the game when Ben Chilwell, who had not started for his club in 118 days, sent a sharp through ball that opened up Boro’s defence.
Then Raheem Sterling squared the ball to Armando Broja in the box. Boro captain Howson tried to step in, but the ball hit his shin and went into his own net.
The first goal for Chelsea came when Sterling and Disasi worked together down the right wing. Enzo then rushed in and fired the low cross high past Tom Glover, the Boro custodian.
It was Boro’s fault that they gave up the third and fourth goals in the first half. Matt Clarke, the centre back, lost the ball with a loose pass. When Chelsea countered, Disasi ran into the area and put Sterling’s pass into the far corner with a powerful shot.
In the fourth, Palmer took Dan Barlaser’s ball on the edge of his own area and slotted it past Glover. This was even worse than the third.
Three great chances were missed by Palmer in the first leg, but he made up for it here with the fifth goal, a clinical finish on Conor Gallagher’s cut-back. Then, Madueke beat Glover with a shot that deflected off Rav van den Berg.
Boro got one back when Rogers scored a beautiful goal into Djordje Petrovic’s far corner. However, Chelsea had already secured their spot in the final for a long time.
At Riverside Stadium, Chelsea had 18 shots but didn’t score. Here, they were much more determined and had moments of Premier League-level attacking play.
They also had an advantage because Middlesbrough looked like a second-division team that had been hit hard by injuries after riding a crazy atmosphere to a famous win at home.
Isaiah Jones, who played so well in the first game, wasn’t there because he hurt himself against Rotherham on Saturday. Howson, who wasn’t sure if he would play, had a tough game as the third centre back, and he was caught off guard for Enzo’s amazing second goal.
Boro had been the better team early on before giving up the goal. They had a great chance to go ahead 1-0 after a smart short corner routine, but Petrovic stopped Rogers at the near post.
But Chelsea had a lot of players out because they were hurt or on international duty. They took advantage of Boro’s weak defence and didn’t even have to go into top gear to get the win.
They kept pressing in the second half. Sterling almost tripped Dael Fry in the six-yard box with the goal open, and Palmer scored the fifth. Boro were denied when Matt Crooks was called offside after heading past Petrovic, but Rogers scored in front of a packed away end.
This is the Blues’ first big game since co-owner Todd Boehly took over in May 2022.
Photo by EPA/ISABEL INFANTES
