Chelsea players endured a tough outing last night in what their manager had already described as their biggest of the season.
He started close to his full team, although some players were still finding themselves in positions they were not too comfortable in.
Cole Palmer was experimented in a false nine position like he was against Arsenal earlier this season, however the change in magnitude of opponents saw this not work out.
This did allow him to start his typical midfield three behind the attack of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher.
While supporters were pleased with what they saw from their club-record addition, they still fell way short of a result.
The World Cup winner was one of the players brought off in a double change in the second half, as Mauricio Pochettino introduced his only two senior players from the bench.
Middlesbrough fans to Enzo Fernandez
As he trudged off the pitch, the home fans were more than keen to let him know what they thought of him.
They brought out the infamous “what a waste of money” chant to taunt their Premier League opponents as they were on the way to a 1-0 win at the Riverside.
The chant was audibly heard during Sky Sports’ coverage of the game, as the Championship supporters clearly enjoyed their evening out.
The 22-year-old has been rebuilding his fitness in recent weeks after suffering a problem in an earlier round of the EFL Cup, however his impact on the side still doesn’t seem to be as high as it should be.
A switch-up in the tactics in the midfield is certainly something that could be looked into by the manager in order to get the best out of one of his most expensive players.
The performance will need to be so much better in a couple of weeks’ time as they look to book their place in the final of the EFL Cup with a second leg win at Stamford Bridge.
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