How did the players fare in Middlesbrough's 6-1 Carabao Cup defeat at Chelsea?
CHELSEA (4-2-3-1):
Petrovic 6; Disasi 8, Silva 7, Colwill 7, CHILWELL 8 (Gilchrist 64, 5); Caicedo 7 (Chukwuemeka 71), Fernandez 8; Sterling 8, Palmer 8, Mudryk 6 (Madueke 46, 6); Broja 6 (Gallagher 64, 6).
Subs (not used): Bergstrom (gk), Curd (gk), Badiashile, Washington, Castledine.
MIDDLESBROUGH (4-2-3-1):
4 Glover: Almost conceded an early opener when he was beaten to the ball by Chilwell and often looked shaky
5 Van den Berg: Tried his best at full-back before being moved infield – made a great second-half tackle on Gallagher
4 Fry: Couldn’t handle Chelsea’s movement in the final third as he found himself being pulled around in the box
4 Clarke: Played his team into trouble passing from the back, most notably in the build-up to Chelsea’s third
3 Engel: Was badly out of position for Chelsea’s opening two goals, which came down the Boro left
4 Howson: The own goal was slightly unfortunate, but dropping into the backline in the first half didn’t work
3 Barlaser: Didn’t look comfortable receiving the ball under pressure, with his slip handing Chelsea their fourth
5 Forss: Was one of Boro’s brighter players before the break, but his withdrawal was an attempt to keep him fit
4 Crooks: Put in plenty of effort, but didn’t see enough of the ball to really make a difference
4 Hackney: Struggled in the first half in particular, with his error contributing to Chelsea’s third goal
6 ROGERS: The pick of Boro’s players as he stretched the home side’s defence and scored a fine late goal
Subs:
5 Dijksteel (for Forss, 46): Helped tighten things up slightly when he came on as a wing-back in the second half
O’Brien (for Howson, 70)
(not used): J Jones (gk), McNair, Bilongo, Bridge, McCabe, Gilbert, Coburn.
Man Of The Match: BEN CHILWELL – The full-back’s positional flexibility was the key to unlocking the Boro defence in the first half.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here