The Gossip

Mauricio Pochettino, the manager of Chelsea, expressed his disappointment with the recurring issue of a lack of effectiveness in front of goal. This concern arose after his team suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough, a team from the Championship, at the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday.

Hayden Hackney netted the solitary goal at the 38th minute, highlighting Pochettino’s lavishly constructed lineup of talented individuals once more falling short in their away performance.

Chelsea’s recent record shows a decline, with five defeats in their last six away matches and a total of 21 losses on the road since the start of the previous season, making them the Premier League team with the highest number of away defeats.

The tie must be reversed by the Blues when they face each other again at Stamford Bridge on January 23. This is crucial in order to prevent further pressure on Pochettino’s position, especially considering his disappointing first season in charge.

Pochettino acknowledged that despite the overall performance being in their favor, they failed to convert their clear chances and lacked clinical finishing. This has been a recurring issue throughout the season.

Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick had a stroke of bad luck, losing their top scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath to injury within the first three minutes of the match. Additionally, Alex Bangura had to be substituted within 20 minutes. However, these setbacks did not deter the second-tier side.

Carrick expressed his delight at the victory, considering the circumstances they had to overcome, including injuries and setbacks. He acknowledged that the tie is not yet decided, as it is a two-legged affair, but defeating a team of Chelsea’s caliber is truly remarkable.

It had been over 17 years since Middlesbrough last scored against Chelsea, with the Blues winning the previous nine encounters by an aggregate score of 21-0. However, the home team ended that drought by scoring eight minutes before half-time.

The pace of Isaiah Jones on the right flank troubled Chelsea’s makeshift left-back Levi Colwill throughout the match. It was Jones’ low cross that was converted by Hackney from close range.

Chelsea, however, could have been on equal terms at halftime if Cole Palmer had maintained his impressive scoring record in front of goal.

Palmer, a former Manchester City academy graduate, has been one of the few expensive signings for Chelsea who has immediately made an impact under Pochettino.

Unfortunately, Palmer missed two golden opportunities in the first half.

Firstly, he failed to hit the target from the edge of the area after intercepting a misplaced pass from Jonny Howson. Then, he shot over the rebound after Tom Glover fumbled Enzo Fernandez’s attempt.

Just before halftime, Palmer also shot too close to Glover with another significant chance.

The second half saw Chelsea dominate possession as they searched for an equalizer.

However, their inability to break through was all too familiar.

Despite spending over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on players in the last three transfer windows, Pochettino admitted last month that he would need to strengthen the team further to address the lack of a goal threat.

Noni Madueke appeared to be the most likely player to ignite Chelsea’s attack, but he was substituted as Pochettino brought on Mykhailo Mudryk and Armando Broja.

Raheem Sterling should have been more alert to meet a dangerous low cross from Broja, but that was the extent of Chelsea’s possession in the final 20 minutes.

Middlesbrough suffered a late defeat against Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

However, this time the team, currently 12th in the Championship, held on to keep their hopes of reaching the Wembley final against either Liverpool or Fulham alive heading into the second leg.