Mauricio Pochettino played to the gallows when picking his starting XI and, by taking the handbrake off, earned a pressure-lifting 6-1 win over Middlesbrough. At half-time, Chelsea were 4-0 up and knew they had booked their spot in the Carabao Cup final, ultimately winning 6-2 on aggregate. A poor first-leg defeat was quickly consigned to history as Jonny Howson turned into his own net, Enzo Fernandez stroked in a near post effort, Axel Disasi tapped in a Raheem Sterling cross, and Cole Palmer tucked home a finish after a stray Boro pass. In the second half, Chelsea were able to lower the tempo but still added more goals through Palmer and Noni Madueke to give the supporters a much-needed lift.