Chelsea’s loss against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup last night was a match to forget for the Blues.
It was quite a significant defeat and not just because Mauricio Pochettino‘s side were playing in a semi-final.
According to OptaJoe, that was actually Chelsea‘s first League Cup loss to a lower league team in 25 years, with their last coming against Huddersfield Town in 1999.
It really sums up where Chelsea are at a moment. They are a club who are just not doing much right at present.
Fortunately for the Blues, their tie against Middlesbrough is not over yet. They will have the opportunity to turn things around in the second leg and hopefully book a ticket to Wembley.
Chelsea can still have success in the domestic cups this season
Because of the above, Chelsea obviously still have a chance to win the Carabao Cup.
Pochettino’s men are into the fourth round of the FA Cup as well after beating Preston North End last Saturday.
Win either of those trophies — hopefully both — and this season can still go down as a success. Qualifying for the Champions League would have been the aim going into the campaign, but winning some silverware will soften the blow of missing out on that.
Of course, the season is not over yet. Chelsea could still finish in the top four, though that seems very unlikely with the club currently sitting in 10th.
It is why Pochettino needs success in the cup competitions, and his side have now made winning one of those trophies a much more difficult task after their defeat at the Riverside.
And it is a game Chelsea probably could have won had Cole Palmer had his shooting boots on. The 21-year-old missed a couple of great opportunities and was criticised for it.
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