Port Vale 0-3 Middlesbrough: Boro reach Carabao Cup semis with easy victory

Four of summer signing Morgan Rogers' five goals for Middlesbrough this season have come away from home in the EFL Cup

Middlesbrough booked their place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals for the first time since they won the trophy in 2004 as they comfortably saw off Port Vale in freezing cold Burslem.

Michael Carrick's men made light of being drawn away for a fifth straight round as they eased to victory.

Jonny Howson's deflected shot and Morgan Rogers' strike put Boro 2-0 up inside 23 minutes.

Matt Crooks then wrapped up an easy quarter-final triumph on 53 minutes.

• Tuesday's EFL Cup action, as it happened

Playing in their first League Cup quarter-final, in the 64th season of the competition's history, Vale's only moment of real hope came in only the fourth minute when Ethan Chislett was just off target with an early free-kick.

But, in front of a season's best 12,006 crowd, Championship promotion contenders Boro did not take long to show their greater cutting edge against their League One hosts.

Captain Howson fired a right-foot shot from the edge of the box that deflected off Jason Lowe to loop over Vale keeper Connor Ripley.

Boro old boy Ripley was then beaten for a second time when Sam Silvera pulled back for Rogers, who found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Eight minutes into the second half, Crooks got the third after being fed on the edge of the box, holding off Vale defender Lowe and side-footing into the bottom right corner.

Boro now face a two-leg semi-final in January, guaranteed to be against Premier League opposition, as they go into Wednesday's draw, along with Fulham and Chelsea.

The draw immediately follows the fourth quarter-final between Liverpool and West Ham United.

Jonny Howson's 59th career goal was his first in this competition for Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees:

"Key moments in matches change momentum. It's one of the unfathomable vagaries of the game we love. And we're in the semi-finals now. Who would have thought that?

"It's about managing the energy in the stadium. But we defended well when we had to defend and the boys were terrific.

"It felt comfortable with 10 or 15 minutes to go, which is nice, but you've got to play well to earn that in the first place and we did."

Port Vale right-back Jesse Debrah told BBC Radio Stoke:

"It's a difficult one to take but we knew it was going to be difficult. They're a very good side and deserved to win.

"The two early goals killed us but Middlesbrough were the better side.

"It was still a great occasion for the club, seeing so many people here.

"I love playing home games anyway but I had goosebumps going out there and seeing the stadium packed."