Middlesbrough March On To EFL Cup Semi-Final
Middlesbrough have moved a step closer to Wembley after securing a place in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup.
A trip to Port Vale capped a busy week that also included two games in the EFL Championship as the Vertu Motors-backed side looked to move towards the play-off positions.
After back-to-back defeats against promotion chasing rivals Leeds and Ipswich, ‘Boro welcomed Hull City to the Riverside chasing a return to winning ways and took an early lead through Emmanuel Latte Lath.
Leading the way at half-time, ‘Boro were pegged back by Liam Delap’s headed equaliser and then fell behind when Ozan Tufan smashed the ball home with less than ten minutes left on the clock.
Despite putting the Hull goal under huge pressure in the closing stages, ‘Boro were unable to find an equalising goal and slipped to a third straight loss despite being arguably the better team.
That losing streak would end in South Wales when Michael Carrick and his side headed for Swansea City. Despite the home side having the better chances in the first half, it was ‘Boro who grabbed the lead through a cool finish from Sam Greenwood.
Jamal Lowe pulled Swansea level just before the hour mark but it was ‘Boro who grabbed the points with twelve minutes remaining thanks to a free kick from Samuel Silvera – awarded after goalkeeper Carl Rushworth had mistakenly picked up a back pass.
Middlesbrough sit 13th in the points as a result and remain only a handful of points away from the play-off positions.
Focus then turned to the cup as ‘Boro made the trip to Stoke to take on League One side Port Vale, the lowest-ranked team still in the competition.
Although the home side had the first real chance of the game early on, it was ‘Boro who took the lead when a deflected shot from Jonny Howson beat Connor Ripley and nestled in the net after eleven minutes.
The Championship side then moved further clear when Morgan Rogers slid the ball home from the edge of the box to make him the top scorer in the competition this season, and a comfortable 3-0 win was confirmed in the second half when Matt Crooks added the third.
It means ‘Boro will now play in the semi-final for the first time since the 2003/04 season, when the team went on to lift the trophy following a 2-1 victory over Bolton at the Millennium Stadium.