MIDDLESBROUGH, England (AP) — Cole Palmer wasted a close-range goal as Chelsea lost 1-0 to second-division Middlesbrough in the first leg of their English League Cup semifinal on Tuesday.
Hayden Hackney scored the only goal of the game in the 37th minute as Middlesbrough defended its slim lead at the Riverside Stadium against its Premier League rival.
The very expensive squad led by Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino focuses its attention on the domestic cups after a disappointing season in the Premier League. They will try to reverse the result in the return match at Stamford Bridge on June 23.
Middlesbrough had not gone this far in the League Cup since winning the 2004 edition.
Hackney scored after a play in which he outpaced Ecuadorian midfielder Moisés Caicedo inside the area to connect the low cross to beat goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic.
Palmer, who shot wide early in the first half, needed nothing more than to push it after Middlesbrough goalkeeper Tom Glover mistimed a shot in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
In what was an easy control, the ball ended up bouncing off Glover’s chest and was served to Palmer, who wanted to finish with a volley from about five meters. He hit it very low, however, and the left-footed shot went over the crossbar.
Middlesbrough is 12th in the Championship — the second division tournament — and had just lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on Saturday in the third round of the FA Cup.
2024-01-10 05:03:43
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