Jonny Howson: Middlesbrough captain both pragmatic and proud after beating Chelsea

Middlesbrough captain Jonny Howson said the win over Chelsea was a life experience as much as a football one

Captain Jonny Howson feels he will not truly savour occasions like Middlesbrough's Carabao Cup semi-final, first-leg win over Chelsea until he finally ends his long career.

The 35-year-old midfielder was a key figure in Boro's 1-0 victory over the Premier League side on Tuesday.

Yet, Saturday's Championship trip to Millwall is already in his thoughts, despite a special Teesside night.

"You listen to ex-pros say they wish they enjoyed it more," Howson said.

"But when you are professional it is hard to properly enjoy it. It's a great moment, it will live long in the memory whether you're starting out or the back end.

"We have got to get focused for Saturday, we've still got achievements we want to have in the league and you can't have off-days because it might come back and bite you."

Boro are four points off the play-off places in the second tier, as Michael Carrick's side seek to go further than last season's play-off semi-final exit at the hands of Coventry.

That said, Boro's first major semi-final since their 2006 Uefa Cup final appearance was a huge moment for the Middlesbrough players, fans and staff - and even more so given the result.

Hayden Hackney gave Boro a lead on a night where they caused Mauricio Pochettino's side many problems, and stood firm at the back to deny players such as Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling an equaliser.

Howson's 716 games have yielded some memorable moments, and this at the tail end of his career is on an equal footing with the best.

"It's what the game is about, creating memories you want to look back on," Howson added to BBC Radio Tees.

"I'm only looking at it as a life experience rather than a football experience, because not too long from now I'll have finished.

"I'll look back at nights like this. It was a great performance from the lads, a great atmosphere and you don't get too many nights like this.

Middlesbrough's players celebrated Hayden Hackney's goal almost to a man as they stunned Chelsea in the semi first-leg

"It's hard because you want to make the most of it, but the old cliche in football is that we've got a game on Saturday as well now."

After games against Millwall and Rotherham in the league, the second leg at Stamford Bridge takes place on 23 January.

And Howson wants Boro to maintain the same focus as the first leg.

"I think that was the message before, the team we're coming up against some of their players can create moments from nothing because they're world class players," Howson added.

"That's why they get paid the money and the transfer fees and all that, and we had to be fully switched on for the entire game.

"If you're not you get punished by these top teams, and I think we've done really well, we've dug deep and set in and we literally gave it everything we got."