Middlesbrough – Arsenal

Boro defend a 1-0 lead as they bid for a place in the final against Bolton. Join us for live commentary from 20.00 GMT

Boro, looking to book their third trip to the final in seven years, make just two changes to the team which won 3-0 at Leeds with Danny Mills replacing Andrew Davies at right-back and Jonathan Greening coming in for George Boateng, who missed out with a groin problem.

Arsene Wenger hands new signing Jose Reyes his first start. The Spaniard was one of eight changes from the side which started against Manchester City as Graham Stack, Patrick Vieira, Martin Keown, Edu, Pascal Cygan, Gael Clichy and David Bentley are all recalled. Jens Lehmann, Gilberto, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp, Freddie Ljungberg, Sol Campbell, Lauren and Thierry Henry make way.

Middlesbrough get the game under way

Greening brings down Edu, free-kick to Arsenal in the centre circle

Arsenal win a corner, Bentley swings it in but it's headed clear

Southgate fells Parlour 35 yards from goal. Vieira takes short

Juninho nicks the ball off Keown and bursts down the left flank. It's Vieira who sprints back to make the challenge, blocking the Brazilian's attempted cross into the danger zone

Vieira plays a good ball over the top for the run of Clichy on the edge of the area, he meets it with his head - well over

Reyes finds the run of Bentley, only for the young striker to fire weakly at Schwarzer

Edu tries one from fully 30 yards, and his fine effort flies inches wide of Schwarzer's left-hand post

Arsenal are on top early doors, looking for the goal they need to get back on level terms

Reyes luckily steers the ball out wide for Clichy, who's cross is headed away by Riggott

Middlesbrough are finding it hard to get a grip on the game, but Steve McClaren's team were ever likely to be on the attack

Maccarone almost finds himself through on goal, but Toure moved up and played him offside

Zenden puts the ball out of play so Greening can get a bit of treatment, he was accidentally caught in the face by the arm of Reyes - resulting in a nose bleed

Bentley breaks forward, and his pass takes a deflection for a corner

Bentley takes, Edu beats Schwarzer to it with his head, and it flies inches wide

Bentley is adjudged to be offside, free-kick

Juninho comes forward, Cole comes is to make the tackle and it runs into the path of Maccarone. He's through on goal and must score, but he puts it wide of Stack's left-hand post. That should have been the opener

Toure needs a bit of treament - he fell over Stack when chasing back - but will be okay to continue

Bentley niggles away at Mills and gives away the free-kick

Toure gives the ball away to Zenden, who then goes down as though he's been caught in the face. Play on

Maccarone is late on Cole, with studs showing, and is very lucky to avoid entering the book

Vieira turns Zenden and tries to slip in Reyes, Southgate reads it well to intercept

Reyes makes room for a shot, it's a tame effort - bread and butter for Schwarzer

Free-kick to Arsenal on the right flank. Reyes' deliver is poor but Doriva gives away the corner with a sliced clearance

Reyes takes, again it's poor - this time Zenden slices it behind. Reyes does better this time, and Cygan's near post header goes into the side netting

Edu tries one over the top for Reyes, it's poor and the ball runs through to Schwarzer

Clichy brings down Juninho, free-kick midway inside the Arsenal half

Zenden plays it deep to Queudrue, he manages stick out a leg and force it back across the face of goal. Maccarone meets it and must score...

...Stack does brilliantly to scurry across the goal-line and push out Maccarone's effort. Great 'keeping

Maccarone has it and the left, he looks for Mendieta in the box and Cole's there to but it behind. The corner is easily dealt with

Riggott brings down Bentley, and that's a free-kick

Keown loses out to Juninho, he takes it on and opts for the shot - which is blocked

Bentley tries his look, and fires straight down the throat of Schwarzer

Corner for Middlesbrough. It's taken short, Zenden fires it across the face of goal and somehow Riggott, Maccarone and Juninho all miss the ball

Boro are getting on top now, looking for the cushion of a goal in this home leg

Corner to Boro again. Zenden delivers from the right, Vieira gets up to head clear

The quiet Reyes looks to get forward, only for Doriva to send him to the turf

Cygan slips and Juninho almost nicks it off him, luckily for the centre-back he holds onto the ball

Juninho plays in Zenden on the left, he plays it across the face of goal and but Mendieta's slide comes just after the ball

Parlour finds Bentley in the box, he looks to turn but Southgate is wise to the move

Bentley is fouled, by Greening, free-kick

Juninho looks to put Zenden in down the left, Keown blocks off the Dutch winger and it's a free-kick to Boro, ten yards outside the box on the left

Mendieta floats it in, Southgate just misses his header enabling Stack to collect

Corner to Arsenal. Bentley delivers from the left, headed clear at the near post

Juninho looks for Maccarone, it looks like there's no danger but Keown turns his back on the ball, it hits him and Maccarone's through on goal. Keown track back and pulls down the Italian!

It's a red card for Keown for the professional foul. The veteran has look out of sorts all game and referee Gallagher had no choice but to dismiss the centre back

Two minutes will be added on for stoppages

The free-kick is on the edge of the D, Juninho takes it and finds the gloves of Stack

Edu is down, and looks in pain, following a late challenge from Zenden. Referee Gallagher missed the foul, Edu looks in real trouble

The stretch is out, and it looks like the end of the game for the Brazilian midfielder. Zenden is apologetic, but it's too late for Edu and he's off

And there goes the half-time whistle

Arsenal started the game very well, without really creating any chance of note

Boro came back very well, but wasted a number of good opportunities to open the scoring - with Maccarone guilty on at least two occasions

Keown had to see red for his professional foul on Maccarone, making their task all the harder, and they also have to hope that they can patch up Edu during the interval

Arsenal begin the second half

Edu is back on after the break, he looks far from 100 per cent and the Gunners will be hoping he stays on the pitch

Reyes is put through, Schwarzer comes rushing out and misses the ball sending the Spaniard to the ground. Referee Gallagher points for the corner and Boro escape. There wasn't contact on Reyes, and it wasn't a penalty, but neither did Schwarzer get the ball

Arsenal win three corners on the bounce, the third comes to Edu on the edge of the box - the shot is charged down

Time and time again we've seen Arsenal grow in character after going down to ten men. Will it happen tonight?

Cygan drags back Juninho just outside the box - a real chance for Boro. Zenden places the ball, and strikes it with his left foot - but he slips and fires into the wall

Reyes, looking a different player in the second period, bursts forward and sees his shot deflected behind for the corner

Bentley takes from the left, Cygan misses his header at the near post - causing mayhem in the six yard box. Eventually it's Toure who fires one it from point blank range...

...Schwarzer does brilliantly to get across and keep out the effort. It comes to Vieira on the edge of the area, his effort it off-target

Free-kick to Arsenal, midway inside the Boro half. Edu floats it in and Vieira tried to lay it off with his head - only for Cygan to foul his marker

Reyes goes down under Riggott's challenge, no free-kick

Reyes picks up the ball frokm Greening's error, he tries a left-footed effort from 25 yards - he gets it horribly wrong and the ball trickles over the goal-line nearer to the corner flag than the net

Queudrue enters the book for cumulative infringments - and that rules him out of the trip to Newcastle as it's his fifth yellow of the season

Reyes tries a few tricks, but never reall looks comfortable and the pressure of Mills pays off

Vieira stays strong to bring the ball forward and play in Parlour down the right. He looks to cross into the area - only to get it all wrong and put too much power on the cross

Zenden tries a shot from a ridiculously tight angle, following good work from Juninho. It's a foolish effort, with Maccarone in the centre, which hits the side netting

Boro make their first change, Jonathan Greening is replaced by Stuart Parnaby

Zenden is hacked down by Vieira, referee Gallagher tries to play advantage at first but pulls play back when the pass doesn't come off, Good refereeing

Maccarone looks to plan in Zenden - the pass is poor and Stack collects

Time is running out Arsenal to get the goal they need. The Gunners have been on top, without really creating much

Vieira plays a fine ball for Reyes, he has the chance to run at the defence, gets into the box but Southgate shows his experience to win the ball

Maccarone plays a square ball for Mendieta, the Spaniard spots the run of Zenden and he only has the goalkeeper to beat...

GOAL!!!!!

Zenden cooly lifts the ball over the top of the onrushing Stack and into the back of the next, Cardiff is now so close for Boro

A change for the home side as Massimo Maccarone is replaced by Joseph-Desire Job

Job is sent through, he only has Stack to beat and slots it home - but the referee pulls play back, Job had been flagged offside

Juninho and Bentley get involved in pushing and shoving and, as is Arsenal's way, it results in handbags between about 12 of the players

Bentley, who started the argy-bargy with the little Brazilian, is booked by Gallagher. His initial challenge on Juninho was late and deserved the caution

It's a uphill task for Arsenal now, 2-0 down on aggregate and with only ten men on the park

Parnaby picks up a knock to his shin, another challenge from Bentley, and needs a bit of treatment

Vieira strides forward with purpose and shoots from the edge of the area, producing a good save from Schwarzer. Reyes chase down the loose ball and makes Mills give away the corner

Bentley floats it in from the left once again, the ball is met by the shoulder of Vieira, but it comes back off the bar. Edu stoops on the loose ball...

GOAL!!!!!

Edu was the first to react, nodding home from just a couple of yards out. It's game on again, Arsenal have 12 minutes to force an extra 30 minutes

That goal was entirely down to the determination of Vieira, could he go on to inspire the victory?

Vieira is felled five yards outside the box. Bentley opts to square it for Parlour, but his rushed shot is deflected harmlessly to Schwarzer

Juninho is sent through the centre, Cole makes the vital interception to thwart the Brazilian's hopes of a clear run on goal

Arsenal make their second substitution - Quincy Owusu-Abeyie comes on for Gael Clichy

Job is brought down by Edu in mid-field

Medieta tries a shot on the turn after taking it past Cole, saved with ease by Stack

Now Zenden comes through on the left, crosses across the face of goal but both Juninho and Job miss it

Zenden on the left again, looking for Job in the centre - Cygan puts it behind and the corner is wasted

Mills is caught very late by Owusu-Abeyie, surprisingly there's no card

Queudrue finds Parnaby just inside the box, he stays on his feet despite the challenge from Cole and finds space for the shot...

GOAL!!!!!

It appears that Reyes' challenge just nicked the ball into the perfect position for the swing of Parnaby's boot - one of the strangest 'assists' you'll ever seen. It may even be an own-goal! Surely, game over now. That was Parnaby's first ever goal for Boro (or was it?) - and what an important time to get it

Doriva's powerful drive from the edge of the D crashes into a defender

Zenden again looks menacing on the ball, and gets into the box, firing it across the six yard box. Job meets it at the back stick but can only hit the side netting

Edu tries a shot from distance, and it's just wide

Three minutes to be added on

Vieira almost puts Owusu-Abeyie, but the youngster's control lets him down

Boro are playing it around now to the 'oles' of the home crowd. Cardiff beckons

Zenden is played clean through and has the chance to wrap things up, but Stack comes out and makes a good save

The party has already started at the Riverside, the fans in fine voice

Zenden wins the corner for Boro. Juninho walks over to take it - but there's no time! Boro reach the Carling Cup final!

The impressive Zenden made the vital breakthrough for Boro, and although Edu pulled one back it was just too much for the ten men of Arsenal to pull off

This wasn't the real Arsenal tonight, full of a lot of youth, but Boro won't be bothered about that

Southgate stirs up the crowd with a fist in the air, it's a real party atmosphere. Bolton v Boro, February 29 and, of course, you'll be able to follow the game live here on Soccernet.

The second goal has now officially gone down as an own goal by Reyes - certainly not the way he would have envisiged hitting the back of the net for the first time in an Arsenal shirt!