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Middlesbrough shock Chelsea in League Cup semi-final – ARN News Centre
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Chelsea suffered a surprise 1-0 loss 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 wasteful side plenty to do in the return.
The 21-year-old Hackney’s silky finish from an Isaiah Jones pass stunned the visitors in the 37th minute at the Riverside Stadium and the hosts defended superbly to take a slender advantage to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea only had themselves to blame though as they dominated possession but squandered a host of chances — the biggest culprit being Cole Palmer who failed to hit the target twice in the opening half with the goal gaping.
Boro, who won the trophy in 2004 but are currently 12th in the Championship, had chances on the counter-attack to increase their lead but will still head to London believing they can reach Wembley.
Chelsea’s players were booed by some of their own fans at the final whistle with Thiago Silva acting as peacemaker but they will be confident of making amends in the second leg on Jan. 23. Liverpool host Fulham in the first leg of the other semi-final on Wednesday.
Chelsea’s stuttering first season under Pochettino has been a case of one step forward and two back and Tuesday was a prime example of the problems they face as they were unable to beat Michael Carrick’s injury-ravaged Boro.
They had 18 goal attempts, the majority in the first half, but once again they 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 hard 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 a raucous home crowd, it was a special night.
“I know it’s a two-legged affair and it’s still all to play for but with all we’ve had to go through with injuries and setbacks to beat a team with Chelsea’s quality is unbelievable,” Carrick said. “It was an exceptional effort.”
Boro began on the front foot but were forced into early changes with Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alex Bangura both hobbling off within the opening 20 minutes.
Palmer should have put Chelsea in front when he was gifted the ball by Jonny Howson but fired wastefully wide.
Minutes later Boro took the lead when the lively Jones did superbly to latch on to a long pass and bamboozle Chelsea left back Levi Colwill before squaring for Hackney to guide the ball past Djordje Petrovic from close range.
Palmer wasted an even better chance in first-half stoppage time as he sliced over from in front of goal after Boro keeper Tom Glover failed to gather a shot by Enzo Fernandez.
And Palmer was denied again before the halftime whistle, this time taking too long to shoot and then firing too close to Glover who had a superb game.
Chelsea monopolised the ball in the second half but lacked the guile to break down Boro’s red wall.
“That has happened this season and there has been a lot of games we have not won because we are not clinical enough,” Pochettino said.
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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