Half-time: Middlesbrough 0 Chelsea 0
Oscar missed Chelsea’s best chance in the first half of the FA Cup fifth-round clash at the Riverside Stadium.
He was unable to capitalise after Victor Moses pulled the ball back for the Brazilian.
Middlesbrough threatened when Scott McDonald headed Nicky Bailey’s right-wing cross wide of the target after Ramires had given the ball away.
And the Championship team finished the half strongly, with Petr Cech unconvincingly palming away Mustapha Carayol’s effort before John Terry cleared the danger.
Under-fire interim manager Rafael Benitez made eight changes to Chelsea’s starting line-up.
Skipper Terry returned along with Fernando Torres, while Dutch teenager Nathan Ake was handed a starting berth for the first time.
Ake, 18, was deployed in a defensive midfield role and Paulo Ferreira was also included in the side.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ferreira, Ivanovic, Terry, Bertrand; Ake, Ramires; Moses, Oscar, Benayoun; Torres.
Subs: Turnbull, Cole, Luiz, Lampard, Hazard, Marin, Ba.
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