Advantage Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup semifinal as Championship side upset Chelsea in the first leg.
Chelsea suffered a narrow loss away at Middlesbrough in the first leg of their EFL Cup semifinal clash.
The encounter on Teeside was decided by a first-half goal scored by youngster Hackney, finishing off a devastating counter-attacking move to open the scoring.
Chelsea knocked on the door repeatedly and should have scored in the first half but top scorer Cole Palmer uncharacteristically spurned clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.
Pochettino's men could not find the same tempo in the second half as they struggled to break down Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough and their resolute deep block.