MIDDLESBROUGH, United Kingdom: Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino bemoaned a familiar lack of cutting edge after his team lost the first leg of their League Cup semifinal 1-0 to Championship side Middlesbrough at the Riverside on Tuesday.
Hayden Hackney scored the only goal on 38 minutes as Pochettino’s expensively assembled array of stars again failed to perform away from home.
Chelsea 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 Premier League team.
The Blues must turn the tie around when the sides meet again at Stamford Bridge on January 23 to avoid heaping more pressure on Pochettino’s position during a disappointing first season in charge for the Argentine.
“If we assess the performance overall we were the better side, had clear chances, but we didn’t score and weren’t clinical,” said Pochettino. “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.
Carrick was also forced to withdraw Alex Bangura inside 20 minutes but the second-tier side were not fazed.
“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. The Blues had won the past nine meetings by an aggregate score of 21-0.
However, 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.
Chelsea, though, should have at least been level at the break had Cole Palmer maintained his fine scoring form in front of goal.
The former Manchester City academy graduate has been one of Chelsea’s few big money signings to hit the ground running under Pochettino.
However, Palmer twice failed to hit the target with glorious first-half chances.
Firstly, he pulled his shot wide from the edge of the area after pouncing on an errant pass from Jonny Howson, and then he fired over the rebound after Tom Glover fumbled Enzo Fernandez’s effort.
Palmer then fired too close to Glover with another big chance just before the break.
The flow of the second half was a different story as Chelsea pegged the home side back in search of an equalizer.
But there was a familiarity to the visitors’ inability to find a way through.
Despite the club spending over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on players in the last three transfer windows, Pochettino suggested last month he would need to look to strengthen once more in order to address the lack of a goal threat.
Noni Madueke looked the most likely spark to Chelsea’s attack, but he was sacrificed as Pochettino threw on Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja.
Raheem Sterling should have been more alive to meet one dangerous low cross from Broja, but that was all Chelsea’s vast amount of possession in the final 20 minutes amounted to.
Middlesbrough conceded late to lose 1-0 to Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.
But this time the team that 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.
Middlesbrough stun Chelsea flops to take League Cup semifinal lead
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Middlesbrough stun Chelsea flops to take League Cup semifinal lead
- The Blues must turn the tie around when the sides meet again at Stamford Bridge on January 23 to avoid heaping more pressure on Pochettino’s position
Dembele, PSG, Bonmati and Yamal score big at 16th Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai
- Cristiano Ronaldo, named Best Middle East Player, announced the launch of the first Globe Sports Award, presenting it to tennis star Novak Djokovic
- PSG, after the most successful season in their history, were named Best Men’s Club and Ousmane Dembele Best Men’s Player
DUBAI: Ousmane Dembele and Aitana Bonmati were the major winners at the 16th Beyond Developments Globe Soccer Awards on Sunday night in Dubai.
During a ceremony at the Atlantis The Royal hotel, Paris Saint-Germain forward Dembele was crowned Best Men’s Player for the first time, and FC Barcelona midfielder Bonmati made history by being named Best Women’s Player for a third consecutive year.
Among more than 20 awards presented, French giants PSG, capping off an extraordinary year in which they won the UEFA Champions League and Super Cup, Ligue 1, and Coupe de France, were named Best Men’s Club.
Individual awards went to Luis Enrique (Best Coach), Vitinha (Best Midfielder), Desire Doue (Emerging Player), Luis Campos (Best Sporting Director), and Nasser Al-Khelaifi (Best President).
Dembele said on stage: “The first half of the season was a bit more difficult, but there was a lot of work being poured into what happened in the second half.
“You have to work hard always and continue at it. And then when the moments that were hard to beat arrived, I just kept at it and now find myself where I am now.”
As well as celebrating Bonmati’s honor, it was a big night for FC Barcelona as they won the Best Women’s Club trophy.
Barca’s 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, the Spain international, also secured a double with the Best Forward and Maradona awards.
“I don’t want to be compared to anybody, because people, like the legends like Cristiano, actually have made their own path, and that’s what I want to do.”
A highlight of the evening saw Cristiano Ronaldo announce, in partnership with Globe Soccer, the first Globe Sports Award. Ronaldo presented the award to tennis icon Novak Djokovic, the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Al-Nassr and Portugal star Ronaldo, named the Best Middle East Player, said: “We have a similar story, so I think it’s deserved because you are a great example for this generation, the older generation, and the generation to come, so you deserve it.
“Football is our life, it’s my life. But for me, sport means more than only football. For me, this is a new era, so we have to open our minds for the other sports.
“This is why we create this amazing award, in my opinion, and because the world needs to see different things with huge quality.”
Djokovic said: “To be here tonight is a privilege and honor, obviously, receiving an award from another sporting legend is a dream come true. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this. I’m a big fan of football.
“I came here to obviously celebrate the incredible year that all of the football stars were having, and I was caught off guard, but in a positive way, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Career awards were presented to Spaniard Andres Iniesta, who scored the winning goal for his country in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands, and former Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, a two-time AFC Player of the Year and Serie A winner with AS Roma.
In a tribute, a special award was presented to the parents of Diogo Jota, the Liverpool and Portugal forward who tragically died in a car accident alongside his younger brother Andre Silva in July.
During the invite-only event in Dubai, awards were presented to Jorge Mendes (Best Agent), Portugal (Best National Team), Paul Pogba (Comeback Award), Los Angeles Football Club (Best Club Branding).
In addition, awards went to Nicoletta Romanazzi (Best Mental Coach), Right to Dream (Best Academy), and Bilal Haddad (Koora Break Best Content Creator).
Nine core categories were decided by more than 30 million fan votes during two global voting windows: Best Men’s Player, Best Women’s Player, Best Men’s Club, Best Women’s Club, Best Coach, Best Midfielder, Best Forward, Emerging Player, and Best Middle East Player.
The final winners were then determined by a combination of fan votes and the Globe Soccer Jury, made up of Marcello Lippi, Francesco Totti, Iker Casillas, and Luis Figo.
Tommaso Bendoni, founder and CEO of Globe Soccer, said the awards “delivered an unforgettable celebration of football, bringing together the world’s greatest players, coaches, executives and legends in Dubai.
“The incredible engagement from fans, alongside the expertise of our distinguished jury, once again demonstrated the unique spirit of the Globe Soccer Awards.”
It was also a special night for Spain’s La Liga EA Sports as the country’s top-flight presented the winners of its 2024-2025 season awards. FC Barcelona trio Raphinha, Hansi Flick, and Yamal were named Best Player, Best Coach, and Best Emerging Player respectively.
The Best Goal award went to Real Sociedad midfielder Luka Sucic, while the Best Save award was presented to Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
