THEY might not make their European bow until next season, but Middlesbrough underlined their continental class with a dogged and disciplined display that ensured it will be Monte Carlo or bust for Chelsea's pursuit of silverware this campaign.

Steve McClaren's side cannot compete in the same financial league as the Blues after Roman Abramovich's Russian revolution at the Bridge but, on the pitch, they proved more than a match for the side the bookmakers make favourites to win the Champions League next month.

Last week's history-making 2-1 win at Arsenal has catapulted Chelsea into the highest echelons of the European game but, while the UEFA Cup does not represent the same rarefied heights, Middlesbrough have nothing to fear if they can replicate this performance on the European stage next season.

Boro fully deserved to pick up only their third Premiership point ever at Stamford Bridge and, had Massimo Maccarone or Juninho made more of the half-chances that came their way in the first half, the Teessiders could even have been celebrating their first win at the ground since 1975.

Instead, they had to be content with cementing their burgeoning reputation for being hard to beat and all but ending Chelsea's faint hopes of overhauling Arsenal at the top of Premiership.

The Blues will go to Monaco for the Champions League semi-final with renewed questions being asked of their ability to break sides down, while Boro will continue to confound those who question how far they have really progressed this season.

"We're a very good team," argued a satisfied McClaren. "We've had seven defeats in the last 31 games and I'll certainly take that for the next 31 games as well.

"We've proved how good we are by winning the Carling Cup and beating Arsenal to get there, we've proved it by beating Manchester United at Old Trafford, and now we've proved it again by coming to Chelsea and getting a point.

"We want to get to the next level but we haven't got to forget what we've achieved already. We have a first trophy and we are in Europe - there are exciting times ahead for this football club."

Saturday's result would have represented something of a success at any time, but it was even more impressive given the circumstances.

Chelsea, still basking in the afterglow of their Highbury win, could afford to rest both Damien Duff and Wayne Bridge and still name almost £40m worth of talent on their bench.

Boro's injury crisis meant they were without five first-team regulars, plus the ineligible Bolo Zenden, so were forced to play 37-year-old Colin Cooper just four days after recalling him from his loan spell at Sunderland and name 17-year-old Matthew Bates on the bench three days after he played in an FA Youth Cup game against Crewe.

The joins hardly showed as Cooper and Ugo Ehiogu combined to thoroughly nullify the attacking threat of both Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen, while youngster Stuart Parnaby proved a more than able replacement for virus victim Danny Mills.

"The bedrock of your team is always the defence and I thought Ugo and Colin were magnificent," said McClaren.

"I don't think he's played for a couple of months, but we all know what Colin brings to the team.

"He showed that in the first half of the season and, even though he's not had a chance since, he's come in at the last minute and performed like that."

Ironically, the only mistake Cooper made all afternoon almost saw Boro fall behind in the third minute as his misdirected clearance fell to Celestine Babayaro on the edge of the area, only for the Nigerian international to drag his shot well wide.

That proved a rare moment of danger though as, for the rest of the first half, the visitors marginally shaded things with Juninho pulling all the strings in the hole behind Maccarone and Szilard Nemeth.

The dimunitive Brazilian was the game's most incisive figure before the break but, sadly, his shooting was not a match for his passing or movement as he twice shot tamely when well placed.

Maccarone also shot wide after a rampaging run down the left flank, but that miss was nothing compared to the glaring error made by Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard six minutes before the break.

Mark Schwarzer beat out Joe Cole's close-range snapshot but, after Gudjohnsen had struck the post following Claude Makelele's resultant centre, Lampard was left with the goal at his mercy on the edge of the six-yard box.

The England international might have made no mistake with the equaliser against Arsenal last week but, for once, his radar was badly awry as he steered the rebound wide.

The second half followed much the same pattern as the first with Chelsea offering little more than a sporadic threat, although Lampard put another fine opening wide with seven minutes left.

That proved the final threat to Boro's goal, but Spanish midfielder Gaizka Mendieta almost turned one point into three at the death when his curling free-kick brought a fine diving save out of Chelsea keeper Marco Ambrosio.