Middlesbrough beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg

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Frank LeBoeuf blasted Chelsea after their 1-0 first leg defeat against Middlesbrough. 

Chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at second-tier Middlesbrough in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Tuesday, with Hayden Hackney's goal giving Mauricio Pochettino's scrappy side plenty of chances to fight back. 

Hackney's 21-year-old's silky finish from Isaiah Jones stunned the crowd at the Riverside Stadium in the 37th minute and the hosts, aided by Australia goalkeeper Tom Glover, defended brilliantly to take a slim advantage at Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea had only themselves to blame as they dominated possession but missed too many chances - the biggest culprit being Cole Palmer who twice hit the target with a goal difference in the opening half. Failed. 

Boro, who won the trophy in 2004, were likely to extend their lead on the counter-attack but will go to London confident they can reach Wembley. 

Chelsea's players were booed by some of their own fans at the final whistle but will have a chance to make amends in the second leg on January 23. 

Chelsea's first season under Pochettino has been a case of one step forward and two steps back and Tuesday was a prime example of the problems they face as they failed to beat Boro, who have been devastated by Michael Carrick's injury. . 

They had 18 goal attempts, the majority in the first half, but once again lacked quality in front of goal and were often exposed in defence. 

"We made some mistakes in the first half and gave them chances to score," Pochettino told Sky Sports after his side's ninth defeat of the season in all competitions. 

"After that they were aggressive and played with a deep block and it was difficult for us to break them down. But we have another 90 minutes and we need to be positive."

For former Manchester United and England midfielder Carrick, and the home crowd, it was a special night. 

"I know it's a two-legged affair and there's still everything to play for but we've had to go through injuries and setbacks to beat a team of Chelsea's quality," Carrick said. . "It was a phenomenal effort."

Boro started on the front foot but were forced into early changes, with Emmanuel Latte Leith and Alex Bangura both sent off inside the opening 20 minutes. 

Palmer should have put Chelsea in front when he was gifted the ball by Jonny Howson but fired wide.