Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick insists the scoreline didn’t reflect the game after their 6-1 Carabao Cup semifinal defeat at Chelsea.
Chelsea reach the final 6-2 on aggregate.
Carrick later said: “It’s tough. It’s hugely disappointing in the end because the boys have worked so hard to get here and in the first leg and be in a position where we come here and are right here.
“Six shots on target, six goals. It’s pretty ruthless, pretty hard and pretty brutal. I know there are a couple of goals where we could have done better but I can’t fault the boys for that.
“The effort and the way they stuck to it, I was really proud of them to be honest because that is not easy. I felt it was a bit brutal how ruthless they were.
“It’s tough and credit to them for sticking to it. It was a little bit of shellshock. We came here to play a certain way and we thought we were in it and then all of a sudden the writing is on the wall.
“We kept going and playing and big moments unraveled a little bit. They scored from nowhere in some ways and then Morgan [Rogers] has a chance at a corner at 1-0 and we need them to go for us.
“They went for us last time and they didn’t go for us this time.”
He also said: “The fans were incredible. When you stand there at the end it is mixed feelings. Because of what they gave us and to feel that was a nice moment in a way.
“They have supported us all the way. It was nice for us to have that moment for them but just a shame we couldn’t give them anything to shout about.”
