Lack of cutting edge costs Chelsea in shock loss to Middlesbrough in League Cup semi-final

LONDON – Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino bemoaned a familiar lack of cutting edge, after his team lost the first leg of their League Cup semi-final 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Jan 9.

Hayden Hackney scored the only goal on 37 minutes as Pochettino’s expensively assembled array of stars again failed to perform away from home.

The Blues have lost five of their last six away games and 21 times on the road since the beginning of last season – the most of any English Premier League team.

They must turn the tie around when the sides meet again at Stamford Bridge on Jan 23 to avoid heaping more pressure on Pochettino’s position during a disappointing first season in charge.

“If we assess the performance overall we were the better side, had clear chances, but we didn’t score and weren’t clinical,” said the Argentinian. “It happened a lot this season.”

Boro boss Michael Carrick could have been forgiven for cursing his luck after losing top scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath to injury after just three minutes. He was also forced to withdraw winger Alex Bangura inside 20 minutes but the second-tier side were unfazed.

“It’s very special,” said the former Manchester United midfielder.

“I know it’s a two-legged affair and there is still all to play for, but for what we’ve had to go through, the injuries, the setbacks we’ve had, to beat a team of Chelsea’s quality is unbelievable.”

Middlesbrough had not scored against Chelsea for over 17 years and have lost the past nine meetings by an aggregate score of 21-0.

The home side ended that drought eight minutes before half-time. The pace of Isaiah Jones down the right caused Chelsea’s makeshift left-back Levi Colwill problems all night and his low cross was turned in by Hackney from close range.

“We stuck to the plan, tried to keep it tight and catch them on the counter,” Hackney said. “It was a great ball, I just got on the end of it. We did really well but it’s a completely different game away from home. We will give it our best shot.”

Chelsea should have at least been level at the break had Cole Palmer maintained his fine scoring form.

The former Manchester City academy graduate has been one of Chelsea’s few big-money signings to hit the ground running under Pochettino. However, the 21-year-old forward twice failed to hit the target with glorious first-half chances.

The flow of the second half was a different story as Chelsea pegged the home side back in search of an equaliser.

But there was a familiarity to the visitors’ inability to find a way through. Despite the club spending over £1 billion (S$1.7 billion) on players in the last three transfer windows, Pochettino suggested in December he would need to look to strengthen once more in order to address the lack of a goal threat.

His team had 18 goal attempts, the majority in the first half, but once again they lacked quality in front of goal and were often exposed in defence. Chelsea’s players were booed by some of their own fans at the final whistle with veteran defender Thiago Silva acting as peacemaker.

“We made some mistakes in the first half and gave them chances to score,” Pochettino added after his side’s ninth defeat of the season in all competitions.

“After that they were aggressive and played with a deep block and it was hard for us to break them down. But we have another 90 minutes and we need to be positive.”

Middlesbrough conceded late to lose 1-0 to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Jan 6.

But this time the team who sit 12th in the Championship held out to keep their dreams of a Wembley final against either Liverpool or Fulham very much alive heading into the second leg. AFP, REUTERS