EFL CUP: Fulham 2 Middlesbrough 1 (aet)

AT the start of last night’s EFL Cup second-round game, flashes of lightning illuminated the sky above Craven Cottage. More than two hours later, and it was Fulham midfielder Lasse Vigen Christensen striking to dump Middlesbrough out of the competition.

Victims of a cup shock, with Christensen scoring seven minutes from the end of extra-time, Boro only had themselves to blame. They could hardly have wished for a better start as David Nugent’s eighth-minute header fired them into the lead, but they ran out of steam as the night wore on and didn’t really threaten again until Nugent struck the crossbar in the final minute of normal time.

Middlesbrough's Daniel Ayala battles for possession of the ball with Fulham's Tayo Edun 

Fulham were level by then, courtesy of a Julien de Sart own goal at the start of the second half, and Boro’s back four were forced to repel a series of raids, both in normal time and during the extra 30 minutes.

They held out until close to the end, largely thanks to the efforts of Ben Gibson, but were deservedly beaten when Christensen converted Scott Malone’s cross. Having started the Premier League season so impressively, perhaps this was something of a reality check.

It wasn’t even as though Boro could point to a weakened line-up to explain their struggles. Karanka handed a debut to three players – Fabio da Silva, whose night lasted just ten minutes before he was forced off injured, Alex Baptiste and Viktor Fischer – but there were plenty of first-team regulars on show. That they were unable to see off Championship opposition was intensely disappointing.

Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing (right) battles for possession of the ball with Fulham's Tim Ream

The most notable absentee from the starting line-up was Jordan Rhodes, and for all Karanka’s protestations about not wanting to lose the Scotsman, it would still be a major surprise if the January arrival, who remained on the bench, was plying his trade on Teesside beyond next Wednesday.

He has clearly slipped below Nugent in the pecking order, and his rival was able to showcase his goalscoring qualities within the opening eight minutes of last night’s game. Fabio swung over an inviting cross from the left, and Nugent soared above his marker to plant a powerful ten-yard header past goalkeeper Jesse Joronen.

There was much to admire in both the quality of the header and the precision of the cross, but the delivery from the flank proved to be Fabio’s final involvement as he immediately left the field with what appeared to be a muscular injury. So much for resting George Friend.

Boro spent the rest of the first half controlling things, with Stewart Downing pulling the strings as he returned to his preferred central role. The visitors were the dominant side for the majority of the first half, although they were indebted to Brad Guzan for a superb reflex save to prevent Fulham claiming an equaliser midway through the opening period.

Middlesbrough's Brad Guzan and Ben Gibson look dejected as they leave the pitch 

Cauley Woodrow met Jozabed’s right-wing cross with a first-time volley, but Guzan got down well to keep the ball out. The American goalkeeper was rather less impressive moments later, but his miscued clearance was rescued by Adam Clayton’s covering tackle.

Fulham, who beat Newcastle United on the opening weekend of the Championship season, were slick in possession, but Woodrow, playing as a lone striker, initially struggled to make much of an impression against Gibson and Daniel Ayala, who were partnering each other for the first time this term.

However, as the evening wore on, the hosts became more threatening, and Boro found themselves under the cosh at the start of the second half. Four quick-fire Fulham corners came and went without the Boro goal being threatened, but it felt only a matter of time before the visitors’ resistance was breached, and the equaliser arrived in the 55th minute.

It was a scrappy affair, with Malone’s fiercely-hit strike squeezing under Guzan and rolling towards goal. Woodrow and de Sart went scrambling into the six-yard box, and the latter was responsible for the final touch as the ball cannoned into the net.

Emilio Nsue finally forced Joronen into his first action of the second half in the 67th minute, firing in a low effort that was easily saved, but neither the Equatorial Guinea international, who played on the right of midfield, nor Fischer, who patrolled the opposite flank, was able to make much of an impression.

The majority of the second-half action took place in the Boro half, and Friend, who became the second Boro left-back to sustain an injury when he hobbled off in the 90th minute, was forced to produce a smart block to deflect Adetayo Edun’s shot over the bar.

Downing curled a 20-yard free-kick narrowly over with five minutes left, and Boro’s attempts to claim a victory in normal time were thwarted in the final minute when Nugent’s header from Clayton’s cross clipped the crossbar.

Nugent threatened at the start of extra-time with a shot that sailed over the top, but with the pace of the game having dropped considerably, Guzan was called upon to claim Jozabed’s stinging long-range strike and substitute Matt Smith powered Malone’s cross narrowly over.

Fulham were the more threatening team in extra-time, and Gibson had to produce a superb goalbound clearance to prevent Sean Kavanagh’s curled shot from finding the net.

However, the Boro defence was breached for a second time with seven minutes of extra-time remaining. Malone crossed from the left, and Christensen slotted home from the edge of the six-yard box.