EFL Cup: League One side Burton Albion reaches semifinals

Jake Hesketh's 48th-minute strike sent Nigel Clough's third-tier Burton Albion into the EFL Cup semi-finals at the expense of Middlesbrough.

Buton Albion's Jake Hesketh celebrates scoring against Middlesbrough

Burton Albion will appear in the EFL Cup semifinals for the first time after Jake Hesketh earned the League One team a 1-0 win at Middlesbrough.

Hesketh made the most of some slack defending in the 48th minute to beat Darren Randolph and make Nigel Clough's side the first from the third-tier to reach the final four since Sheffield United in 2014-15.

Middlesbrough had the better of the opportunities in the opening period, with Lewis Wing the first to test the impressive Burton goalkeeper Bradley Collins – on loan from Chelsea – in the 12th minute.

Stewart Downing saw his 25-yard free-kick pushed away from the top-right corner by Collins, who kept out Jordan Hugill from an acute angle in the 37th minute.

Burton went ahead three minutes into the second period when Jamie Allen's shot came back off the post and Muhamed Besic failed to clear, with Hesketh sliding in and seeing his snap-shot helped into the bottom-right corner by Aden Flint.

Boro failed to register a single shot on target in the second half, missing out on a great chance to reach the semifinals for the first time since it won the EFL Cup in 2003-04.