(Football news) After thrashing Middlesbrough 6-1 on Tuesday, the Blues will play for the EFL Cup, while their visitors also triumphed over the same opponents in the FA Cup round three.
Mauricio Pochettino, the Argentine manager, earned the first major award of his career in just two weeks after taking over as head coach of Paris Saint-Germain in January 2021. Now, the coveted first trophy in English football is just 90 minutes away from being won.
Pochettino might celebrate his first season at Stamford Bridge with an EFL Cup after Chelsea mounted a strong comeback to terminate Middlesbrough’s incredible run in the semi-finals. Pochettino attempted and failed to lead Tottenham Hotspur to silverware during a five-season tenure.
A 1-0 first-leg loss at the Riverside Stadium proved totally insignificant, as Cole Palmer’s brace, Jonathan Howson’s own goal, Axel Disasi’s strike, Enzo Fernandez’s effort and a closing attempt from Noni Madueke propelled Chelsea to Wembley, where Liverpool or Fulham will stand in their way of supremacy.
Before the Blues faithful can get overly excited about a Wembley sojourn, Pochettino’s men have an FA Cup fourth-round tie to win after they cruised past Preston North End 4-0 in their opening encounter, and it has been nine years since Chelsea were last forced to exit in the fourth round.
Still rebuilding the Stamford Bridge walls, Chelsea’s crushing of Middlesbrough represented the Blues’ seventh home win on the trot across all competitions, and the hosts are also on an eight-game Stamford Bridge winning streak in the FA Cup, but a perpetual knockout specialist will be barking orders from the visiting dugout this week.
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