Middlesbrough: Karanka urges Boro to refocus on league after cup exit

MIDDLESBROUGH head coach Aitor Karanka has urged his side to regroup and focus on Championship matters after their 2-0 Capital One Cup exit to a classy Everton outfit at a packed Riverside.
Aitor KarankaAitor Karanka
Aitor Karanka

Everton eased their way into the last four with an accomplished display, taking control of the game with two stunning goals inside eight first-half minutes with Gerard Deulofeu setting the ball rolling with a fine individual effort before mesmerising the Boro defence to set up Romelu Lukaku for a second.

Boro have just two full days to prepare before returning to action on Friday night, when they travel to a bogey venue in Portman Road to tackle Ipswich Town.

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On his side’s last-eight defeat, Karanka said: “Now we have to forget the cup, to be pleased and proud of the run in this Capital One Cup, playing against Manchester United and against Everton and showing everybody that we are a good side on TV.

“Now we have to be focussed on the game on Friday. That is our challenge, the league.”

Specifically on his side’s defeat, the Basque added: “It reminds me of playing against Arsenal last season (in the FA Cup).

“They played with their best starting 11 and Everton did the same, I take that as a complement. They were better than us, really good players in a really good team with a really good coach.

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“That said, one goal can change a game and I thought if we had scored on 85 or 90 minutes there could have been a big finish.”

Everton boss Roberto Martinez is keeping his fingers crossed for a good draw after guiding the club into the Capital One Cup semi-finals.

Tuesday’s victory has left the club just one step from Wembley, although the Spaniard is not allowing himself to dream of cup glory just yet.

Martinez said: “At the moment, we can only hope to get a good draw - and when I say a good draw, if you can play the second game at home, that’s always what you hope for in a draw.

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“And then we need to be as good as we can be in the semi-final.”

On the result and performance, he added: “We scored two magnificent goals, which is always the hardest thing in football, to score goals from open play, and we took those two goals really well.

“And then it was an internal challenge, after what happened at the weekend, for us to manage the game well with a two-goal lead. It became a completely different part of the game and I was extremely impressed and very satisfied.

“The responsibility we took to learn from what happened at the weekend, it was the perfect way to get through to the semi-final.”