AN ecstatic Steve McClaren last night set his sights on 'creating history' after guiding Middlesbrough to the Carling Cup final.

McClaren could become the first Boro manager to lift a major piece of silverware in the club's 128-year history later this month.

But, after witnessing his side overcome Arsenal last night, the Riverside chief has called for caution from everyone connected with the club ahead of their trip to Cardiff to face Bolton on February 29.

"I'm delighted for the club, the supporters and the chairman," said McClaren, who will lead a team out in a final for the first time as a manager. "Middlesbrough have missed out before on trophies and we have got an opportunity to put that straight and make history.

"I've said all along that this is a bonus for the fans and the players will be going there to win it.

"They have been in finals before. We have to keep our feet on the ground and it's up to them now to go down in history."

McClaren added: "As a manager this is up there with my best achievements. It would be better to go and win it though. But the most important thing is the Premier League and I won't be resting players before the final.

"It would mean a lot to me if we won it. It's great getting there but it's half a job done. We can't go there thinking it's a nice occasion, we have got to win them.

"It shows our ambition that we have beaten Arsenal over two legs and that's not easy. We did a tremendous job at Highbury in the first leg to get the lead. But, no matter what people say, that Arsenal team tonight - where would that finish in the League? High up I can tell you that.

"That's our fourth game against them now in a month and thank goodness we won't play them again this season."

Arsenal have lost just two games in 24 matches - and both have been at the hands of Boro.

And Gunners manager Arsene Wenger was critical of Boro's tough tactics in the centre of the midfield last night and insisted his players could have done with more protection from referee Dermot Gallagher.

"I felt it a little unfair that our players were being cut down too often so that our play was cut down," said Wenger. "It was the same players doing the professional fouls in the middle of the pitch and the referee was not doing anything about it."

But McClaren responded: "To let Arsenal have their own way is very dangerous and we had to play at our own tempo. In our first 20 minutes we started nervous but after that we upset their rhythm, got into the game and could have scored a lot more goals."

Wenger believes new signing Jose Antonio Reyes got a good taste of English football. The £17m striker was given a tough time by the Boro defenders and his misery on his first start for the club was compounded when he scored an own goal with five minutes remaining.

Wenger said: "He couldn't sleep all night because he had an infection. We decided last minute to play him. He was not at his best physically. But I'm glad he played because it was a typical English game and he will know what it's about now."

The Arsenal boss had no complaints about Martin Keown's dismissal, when the centre-back pulled down Massimo Maccarone, although he believes his side should have been awarded a penalty when Reyes went down.

"Keown's was 100 per cent a sending off. The referee made the right decision," he said. "I think we didn't deserve to lose. We had to counter attack but we didn't have much to offer with ten men.

"I thought the referee missed an important moment when we should have had a penalty'