On the back of contrasting results in their FA Cup third-round ties, Middlesbrough and Chelsea quickly return to knockout action on Tuesday, when the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final will be played at the Riverside Stadium.
The Blues overcame Newcastle United in a nail-biting penalty shootout to reach the final four, while Michael Carrick's troops put three past Port Vale without reply in the quarter-finals.
Boro - who are currently entrenched in the middle of the Championship rankings - held out for 87 minutes against the Lions, who are under the tutelage of serial cup specialist Unai Emery, but a speculative Matty Cash strike, which took a major deflection off of Emmanuel Latte Lath, proved to be their undoing.
While there may have been a few glum expressions around the Riverside as Cash's effort sneaked into the bottom corner, Middlesbrough could certainly reflect on the positives from that one-goal defeat, even if that did mark a third loss in four games for Carrick's men in all competitions.
The hosts have let their attacking prowess do the talking in the 2023-24 EFL Cup so far, though, overcoming Huddersfield Town, Exeter City, Bolton Wanderers, Bradford City and most recently Port Vale to reach the final four, scoring at least two goals in each of those victories, all of which have come away from home.
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