"I couldn’t have hoped or asked for anything more," Michael Carrick told reporters after seeing his Middlesbrough side beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie. "I keep saying the next one is a totally different one, it’s a new challenge totally. The boys will be ready for it and we’ll be ready to perform. We’ll look forward to it and embrace the challenge because it’s an unbelievable position that we find ourselves in."
It was quite miraculous that Boro managed to keep a clean sheet against the Blues, who had 18 shots at goal compared to the home side's six, with Cole Palmer spurning their best opportunity from just a few yards out. But Carrick was missing 12 senior players heading into the game, and suffered a double injury blow in the first 20 minutes as Emmanuel Latte Lath, Boro's top scorer in 2023-24 so far, and full-back Alex Bangura had to be replaced.
The hosts never stopped believing, though, and stunned Chelsea seven minutes before the break, with Hayden Hackney sliding the ball past opposition goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic after ghosting into the box to meet an Isaiah Jones cross. Boro had to dig in to hold onto their advantage, and rode their luck at times, but the final result was all that mattered.
Carrick is absolutely right that his team will face a completely different challenge at Stamford Bridge. But he has instilled an inner belief in the dressing room, which Chelsea have so far been lacking under Mauricio Pochettino, and his players will give everything to finish the job.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team might just be watching on with a curious eye from Old Trafford. Erik ten Hag has reportedly been told his position as Manchester United is safe, but it won't be if their disastrous 2023-24 season continues, and Carrick now has a real chance to put himself forward as a potential replacement for the Dutchman.