Chelsea's mini-revival came to a shuddering halt with Tuesday's 1-0 defeat at Championship side Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, another game in which Mauricio Pochettino's side were desperately short of cutting edge, verve and identity.
The Blues should still be confident of overturning the deficit back at Stamford Bridge on January 23, but the evening in the freezing north-east was another bleak occasion for Pochettino, his team and supporters — many of whom were left frustrated by the lack of acknowledgement from the players afterwards.
