Things were very much in the balance going into this game after our 1-0 defeat in the first leg, but there was no doubting our superiority this time around.

There was a slow start but once Middlesbrough captain Jonny Howson had desperately put into his own net with Armando Broja poised to score in the 14th minute, there was only one team on their way to Wembley.

We raced away into the distance from there, and by half-time we were 4-0 up on the night and cruising. Enzo Fernandez converted from close range when another Broja effort was blocked and then Axel Disasi brilliantly started and finished a rapid counter down the right.

Cole Palmer caught the Boro defence napping to make it 4-0 and for a long time it looked like that was how it would stay, before a late flurry of goals saw Palmer bag his brace and Noni Madueke curl in a sixth, making Morgan Rogers' reply at the end small consolation for the visitors.

Mauricio Pochettino had said this was Chelsea’s biggest game of the season so far, and there was no mistaking that fact as we approached kick-off with both sets of supporters building the atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge.

That continued through a minute of loud applause to remember former Blues forward Tommy Baldwin, who sadly passed away this week, and into the start of the match itself.

Easing into it

We knew we needed two goals on the night, or one and a successful penalty shoot-out, to secure a spot in the final, and once the nerves of the opening few minutes were out of the way it was all Chelsea pushing forward for those goals.

The first sight of goal fell to Mykhailo Mudryk after a lovely exchange of passes with Ben Chilwell and Enzo Fernandez on the left. On that occasion his shot was deflected behind for a corner, but we were soon at it again when Chilwell’s header dropped just the wrong side of the post after beating goalkeeper Tom Glover to Thiago Silva’s ball over the top.

Middlesbrough did threaten once, when Djordje Petrovic had to get down low to save Morgan Rogers’ effort following a well-worked set-piece. Before long though, the Blues had found the net and wiped out Boro’s first-leg advantage.

It was the combination of Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling which opened things up for the latter in the box, but he selflessly squared to give Armando Broja an open net. Not that he had the chance to use it, as Middlesbrough captain Jonny Howson did the job for him, bundling into his own goal in a desperate attempt to prevent the striker from pulling the trigger.

Goals begin to flow

By the 30-minute mark we were in the lead for the first time in this two-legged tie. The second goal game after some patient build-up at the back before Axel Disasi and Sterling combined down the right. That ended with Disasi charging into the box and laying it off for Broja. The striker’s shot was blocked, but the ball fell towards Enzo Fernandez, allowing the Argentine to sweep in from close range.

Once we had the lead we didn't look back and proceeded to pull away from Middlesbrough before half-time. Disasi and Sterling were key again when we scored a third just eight minutes after the second. The French defender stepped in brilliantly to win the ball and turn defence into attack in a second. Palmer then fed Sterling and when the latter crossed low, there was Disasi continuing his run into the box to finish the move he had started.

With the visitors shell-shocked, we made it 4-0 before half-time, when Palmer made sure he didn’t miss out on the fun. His goal was all his own work, as he punished a lack of concentration from the Boro defenders in possession by nicking the ball off Daniel Barlaser before promptly rolling a finish into the bottom corner.

Cruise control

After the break, it was clear what had looked like a possible 210-minute epic across two legs, had effectively been settled by 45 minutes of ruthless football by Chelsea here at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues supporters continued to enjoy themselves despite the lack of further goals, or even clear chances, as we saw the game out comfortably and professionally. Loud cheers were reserved for returning England international Chilwell's every touch, plus a few delightful moments of skill from Palmer.

With our place in the final looking increasingly assured, Mauricio Pochettino was also able to bring off two players still recovering their full fitness, Chilwell and Broja, shortly after the hour mark.

There was still time to add further gloss to scoreline towards the end, as substitute Conor Gallagher provided two assists. First he found Palmer in acres of space in the box to calmly slot in right-footed, before supplying fellow sub Noni Madueke in the right-hand channel to spin his man and curl in a shot, via a big deflection.

To put the icing on the cake, young midfielder Leo Castledine was introduced late on to make his senior Chelsea debut. All in all, despite a late Boro consolation goal by Morgan Rogers, it was pretty close to a perfect evening for Pochettino and his team then, with the prospect of an even better one to come at Wembley in a month's time.

What it means

It is Chelsea who will be travelling to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final on 25 February. We will face the winner of Liverpool and Fulham, with the Reds 2-1 up from the first leg.

What is next

There is more knockout football at the Bridge to come this week, when we host Aston Villa in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday evening, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

The teams

Chelsea (4-3-3): Petrovic; Disasi, Thiago Silva, Colwill, Chilwell (c) (Gilchrist 65); Enzo, Caicedo (Chukwuemeka 72), Palmer; Sterling (Castledine 85), Broja (Gallagher 65), Mudryk (Madueke h-t)
Unused subs: Bergstrom, Curd, Badiashile, Washington
Scorers: Howson og 15, Enzo 28, Disasi 36, Palmer 42, 77, Madueke 81
Booked: Mudryk 12, Thiago Silva 53

Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1): Glover; Van den Berg, Fry, Clarke, Engel; Howson (c) (O'Brien 71), Barlaser; Forss (Dijksteel h-t), Crooks (Gilbert 88), Hackney; Rogers
Unused subs: Jones, McNair, Coburn, McCabe, Bridge, Bilongo
Booked: Crooks 40, Van den Berg 64
Scorer: Rogers 88

Referee: John Brooks

Crowd: 37,754