After another horror show, Chelsea face a tough road back to glory

It was yet another distressingly familiar tale for Chelsea this season. Despite assembling a lineup of high-priced megastars, the illustrious Premier League giants seem to have as many setbacks as advancements. While their marquee signings had ample opportunities to make a difference, they horrifyingly crumbled when it came to finding the back of the net. 

In stark contrast, Middlesbrough, minnows from the lower tier of English football, who have suffered six defeats on their home turf in the Championship this season, seized the solitary major scoring opportunity and secured a 1-0 advantage in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal. 

Chelsea have certainly made life difficult for themselves in this tournament. They had to go through the nerve-wracking process of penalties to overcome Newcastle, and their wins against AFC Wimbledon and Blackburn were far from convincing. To be fair, Chelsea do possess the quality to stage a comeback in the second leg, but it's hard to blame title rivals for relishing the field day when they face a defensive line that appears so vulnerable to self-destruct under the slightest pressure.

Without providing any explanation, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino made the surprising choice of not fielding a conventional central striker in the match on Tuesday night. Instead, he entrusted Cole Palmer with that role, while Conor Gallagher provided support from a more advanced position. 

Palmer has been a dependable presence for Chelsea this season, which made it all the more unexpected when he squandered a glorious opportunity by firing wide, especially following yet another goalkeeping blunder from Middlesbrough.

According to Opta, a leading statistics provider, Chelsea has missed a staggering 40 big chances in the domestic league this season, making them the second-highest in the top flight. Injuries have certainly not been kind to Chelsea either, as they had to cope with the absence of 10 senior players due to various injuries. 

Yet it's important not to use these circumstances as excuses. Middlesbrough also faced their fair share of injury woes. Once Emmanuel Latte Lath was forced to leave the pitch within the first five minutes, they were left without 13 key players. The situation compounded when Alex Bangura had to be substituted due to a hamstring issue, bringing the total number of absentees to 14. 

Despite these challenges, Middlesbrough responded exceedingly well. They managed to take the lead when Isaiah Jones skillfully maneuvered past the struggling Levi Colwill, who had a tough time throughout the match. Jones then delivered a well-placed cross that was calmly converted by Hackney. 

Middlesbrough certainly flirted with danger and rode their luck, but thanks to Chelsea's profligacy, they managed to hold on and secure a momentous victory. This result plunged Chelsea into new depths. Among Premier League teams, only Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have suffered more defeats than Chelsea (31) across all competitions since the start of last season. Furthermore, when it comes to away matches, no other team has endured more losses than the Blues (21) during that same period.  

It feels almost surreal to witness a football juggernaut that was once accustomed to lifting trophies now mired in a never-ending series of drought and plagued by self-doubt, disarray and upheaval. The unforgiving nature of football reveals itself in moments like these, and there is no telling when Chelsea will finally catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.