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Middlesbrough coach Michael Carrick reflected on the value of the cup after advancing to the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup (League Cup) in England.

Middlesbrough, who played the fourth round of the 2023-2024 England Carabao Cup at St. James' Park in Exeter, England, on the 1st (Korea time), won 3-2 over Exeter City, the English League 1 (third division).

Middlesbrough played a difficult game, as indicated by the margin. He lost a point first in the 13th minute of the first half and finished the first half 0-1. Morgan Rogers and Samuel Silbera scored back-to-back goals early in the second half, but they lost another point in the 21st minute of the second half to Ryan Trevitt, the main character of the first goal. Emmanuel Latteras scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in the 37th minute of the second half.

After a new win, Middlesbrough advanced to the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup. It is the first time in five years in the 2018-2019 season that Middlesbrough has survived this point in the League Cup. If they win the next round, they will have the best performance in about 20 years. The last time Middlesbrough reached the League Cup semifinals was the 2003-2004 season when he lifted the trophy.

The biggest challenge for Middlesbrough, who have remained in the second division, the English Championship, for seven seasons since being relegated from the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2016-2017 season, is promotion. It would be nice to be able to win, but it can be a burden to keep playing additional games in a cup tournament that also has to compete with top-tier teams. In particular, Middlesbrough played all four Carabao Cup matches on the road this season.

Carrick, however, has a different opinion. Coach Carrick, who won several cup competitions while wearing a Manchester United uniform when he was active, thinks that the cup competition is an attractive competition in itself.

After the game, "There are people who ignore the cup, but the cup is special to me. Since we have to play more games, I understand that it is a burden and is not considered as important as in the past. But we try to have a special night through something special while doing this. The Cup is a competition that differs from the weekly games. We are having a great time through this competition," he said.

"We went on a road trip every game. Let's see what happens next. There are many strong teams left that can be a big challenge for us, but even if we meet them, we will at least be able to enjoy the way back home, he added.