And that's the final whistle - after a pretty dire first half all round, Chelsea took second half control to see off Middlesbrough and go through to face Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Terry clears well as Miller tries to make something happen in the middle of the Chelsea area. Seconds remaining now.

Three minutes of added time will be played here at the Riverside.

Another ball into the Chelsea area is half-cleared. Zammama tries a shot, but it's badly hit and wide.

Hines meets it, but Chelsea deal with it.

Haroun gets into the area - good run. Cech stops his effort and it's a late Boro corner.

Bailey misjudges, and Marin tries to run into the penalty area. McManus is there to save face for his colleague.

Things are drifting towards a conclusion at the Riverside: a minute or so of normal time to go, plus whatever we get for stoppages.

Crossfield movement by Boro, who then lose it. Chelsea look to find Torres early. Too early - the flag is up.

And that is a booking for the Boro man, perhaps just allowing a bit of frustration to show.

From it, Ramires will get a crossing chance. Bailey fouls Ake as he tries to usher the ball away.

Friend plays the ball forward, Luiz gets there, Friend gets another touch - and out goes the ball. Chelsea throw, near the halfway line.

That move had Chelsea floundering for a second, and they have switched off in the last two or three minutes.

Another chance - the ball is played in to Miller, who has a first-time volley from just inside the area but can only steer it over.

Bailey gets up and gets a good header in - but it's the wrong side of the post, just rippling the side-netting on its way past.

Ferreira plays a casual pass back, forcing Ivanovic to lunge in and divert it behind for a corner.

You would have thought that, if a comeback was ever going to materialise, it needed to start then.

Zemmama gets it over the wall, but it's far too close to Cech, who saves comfortably.

But wait a moment - Ferreira commits a foul, outside the area and central. Zemmama looks like the man most interested in taking this...

Ten minutes remaining: Chelsea, barring a remarkable Boro revival, have this won.

Oscar is off, with Chelsea bringing Marko Marin on in his stead.

...the ball is worked to Friend, but he sees his cross blocked.

Undaunted, the home side come forward again to win a free-kick on the right. Terry clears for a corner...

Substitute Zemmama makes a good run down the left for Boro and makes room for a cross. Unfortunately, though, he gets the delivery all wrong and it sails over the bar for a Chelsea free-kick.

Luiz is instantly involved, winning the ball well and starting a move that leads to a pass towards, but beyond, Torres.

Another change for Chelsea - Moses is off and David Luiz comes into the fray.

In the meantime, Oscar gets into the area, has a shot - and it's not far wide.

Looks as though David Luiz will come on for Chelsea soon.

McManus fouls Oscar in the centre circle, and the Boro man is booked for his troubles.

Zemmama is on and Carayol off as Boro make another change.

GOAL: But within seconds, Hazard and Oscar combine - the low cross comes in, and Moses taps home. That should decide this one once and for all.

Again, they lose possession - but when they win it back, Ramires finds Hazard on the left of the Boro area. He hits a fierce, swerving shot, which is just wide.

Friend and Carayol, halfway inside the Chelsea half. Boro step in, and Chelsea get a throw.

Haroun for Boro, running over halfway. Miller takes over and finds Friend, who whacks the ball from range and sees it deflect out for a throw-in.

Twenty minutes to go. Ake tries to find Hazard - Boro step in to clear, and Bertrand takes control of that situation for the visitors.

As it comes forward, Ake gets a header in but Chelsea lose it. Williams, though, can't find McDonald near the edge of the Chelsea area.

Moses finds Ferreira, but then Chelsea go backwards again and the ball goes all the way back to Cech.

McDonald does well to control the ball on the edge of the area as it comes forward again, but that flicker of a threat is soon snuffed out.

It is, towards Miller. But Chelsea win that one comfortably enough.

Frank Lampard could be coming on, it seems - in the meantime, Miller plays the ball out to the right for Boro. Ramires fouls Miller. Free-kick, Leadbitter to take. A long way out, but this can be crossed.

Hazard chases a ball forward but Steele does well, just ushering it behind for a goal-kick.

As Chelsea break, Torres takes on Friend. Friend wins, and gets a free-kick as the frustrated Spaniard is adjudged to have fouled him.

Miller, front and centre for Boro, wins the ball but his colleagues waste it, giving the ball away.

Boro play the ball forward, Terry ushers it to Cech - and Cech shanks his clearance straight out of play.

Curtis Main is off and Ishmail Miller on as Boro make a switch.

However, while there's only one goal in it, Boro have every chance.

On the hour and Chelsea, without doing anything anywhere close to spectacular, are assuming control at the Riverside.

Moses takes it, and Boro thump it away.

There must have been a deflection on that Torres shot, because the officials have given a corner.

Benayoun is off and Hazard is on - Benitez makes his first change of the night.

Torres is in - there's no flag. He lashes in a shot, but it clears the bar. A good chance for Chelsea.

Again, the attempt to come forward breaks down and Chelsea come forward. McManus, though, gets in the way of Ramires, who looks to have been given a new lease of life by his goal.

But Middlesbrough lose the ball again, only to win it back through Haroun.

Ake feels he is fouled for Chelsea. Nothing doing, says ref Atkinson, and Carayol comes forward.

Chelsea are on the ball, inside their own half. Forward it goes with Oscar. Torres finds Ramires, whose effort is deflected into the air and easily claimed by Steele.

It's played towards McDonald, who swings a boot at it only to see Ake block again.

Friend comes forward, and the ball is fed back to Leadbitter. He shoots, Ake blocks and Boro have a corner...

And it has changed the picture for Boro. They've contained Chelsea well, but now they must ask them more defensive questions.

Ake approaches the penalty area - that goal has woken Chelsea up.

GOAL: He hits it well from the edge of the D, and it takes a slight deflection as it sails past Steele. Chelsea make the breakthrough!

Torres takes a tumble. No foul, says the referee. Moses luckily finds Oscar, who crosses. Torres can't get there but the ball is played back to Ramires, who can shoot...

Nothing has really changed - it's still scrappy, bitty and shapeless at the Riverside.

Boro's fans are trying to lift their side. To be honest, the whole occasion needs something to give it a lift.

They come forward, but it goes wrong and then there's a throw the other way around.

Boro have a throw, round about half-way, as the Blues lose the ball cheaply.

Then Cech plays it long... towards Oscar. He's not exactly the most logical target, and loses the battle in the air.

The ball is played forward rather aimlessly for Chelsea - and then hoofed clear even more aimlessly by Middlesbrough.

Benitez, you feel, will surely use some of the strength he has on the bench if things carry on like this.

And here we go - Boro start us. Neither manager has made a change at the break.

The players are back out onto the pitch. Kick-off for the second 45 is close at hand.

And that is half-time. This hasn't been an entertaining game, and it has hardly featured a chance to speak of. Things can only improve after the break... can't they?

Boro have a throw on halfway - these are pretty much the last knockings of the half.

Into the last moments of the first half - but it's been lengthened by two minutes of added time. Chelsea take a corner, Terry is adjudged to have fouled, and Boro have a free-kick.

Haroun does well, seeing off Bertrand's challenge, but then (and so much in keeping with the first half) - loses possession.

Boro cross the ball in, and Cech claims that one with utter ease.

Haroun takes on Ake - and fouls him. Free-kick Chelsea.

Benitez is scribbling in his notepad. Wonder what he's writing? It's not as though there's been much to inspire him.

A moment of encouragement for Middlesbrough. As play resumes, Chelsea give the ball away. Then Boro do. Then Chelsea do. Then Boro do. Do you see the pattern?

Carayol has a chance to shoot - he does, and Cech is unconvincing in his handling. John Terry is there to deal with that, though.

At the other end, a Chelsea cross only narrowly eludes the head of Torres, who was lurking hopefully at the near post.

Boro down the right - Haroun has the ball and tries to feed it in to McDonald, without success.

They have a throw to defend, though - but Chelsea go backwards with it, ending up on halfway.

A little under ten minutes remain in what has been a forgettable first half so far. Boro have done well and been comfortable.

He is taken off, and Seb Hines is on in his place.

Ferreira plays a terrible pass, out of play. Bikey has been hobbling a bit and he will be going off here.

There's some jostling between Terry and Bikey as the corner comes in. Middlesbrough are unfazed by that and clear.

Bailey heads away well, and it's another flag-kick for the Premier League side.

Chelsea, though, are unconvincing. There is no zip, pace or flair to anything they are doing. But Oscar tries to change that, getting into the area, and he wins a corner...

Last time they were here, Middlesbrough suffered a 2-1 defeat to Millwall, another out-of-form side. They're playing better than they did that night.

Carayol, on the left, gets into the penalty area but just overruns the ball. Chelsea clear.

Boro hack the ball out of their penalty area as Ake and Ivanovic combine.

Half an hour in. No goals, and few signs of one.

Then another attempted Torres-Benayoun link-up goes wrong. Boro come forward, but Terry ushers McDonald off the attempted pass forward.

Main finds Haroun, but he loses out to Bertrand.

Carayol finds Leadbitter in midfield as Boro come forward, and now Main has it.

Benayoun on the ball - he links up with Torres, but Middlesbrough deal with that one well.

Ivanovic with a free-kick inside his own half - he and Terry exchange passes, and then the latter comes forward and tries to find Moses. Friend gets in the way.

Excellent play from Mowbray's men, that - their best moment of the evening so far.

Ramires makes a mistake. Williams tries to belt it from long range. It's blocked, Bailey crosses and McDonald heads for goal - and not far wide.

Carayol gets it, and then gets his attempted cross all wrong. Easy for the Chelsea defenders.

Main and Bailey link as things break down for Chelsea from that throw. The Londoners then concede a throw themselves.

Ferreira - remember him? - finds Benayoun. Chelsea get a low cross in, but McManus is in the right place again for Middlesbrough and clears.

Boro try to up their own tempo a bit, but the ball towards the area is too strong and Cech has it.

The Chelsea approach so far is a bit stodgy, and they have done little or nothing to unsettle their Championship opponents.

Benitez looks thoughtful on the touchline. Benayoun is penalised for handball inside the Middlesbrough half.

Torres then takes on McManus and tries a shot, but that effort is wimpish in the extreme.

Leadbitter looks for Bailey, who controls neatly and finds Carayol. Good spell of passing from Boro - but it breaks down.

Nothing comes of it, and the home side come forward. Carayol will cross, and Chelsea clear.

Torres tumbles on the left as Bikey challenges. That is nothing more than a throw.

Ake gives the ball away for Chelsea. It's been that sort of evening so far, really.

Leadbitter plays it in and there's a bit of uncertainty until Bailey's header back towards the area is too strong.

Chelsea look the team more likely - but Ramires brings down Williams to give away a dangerous free-kick. Can Boro make anything out of this one?

There isn't really much to talk about so far - it's been a fairly leaden opening period.

Torres can run towards the area after Carayol loses possession. McManus gets there, but Carayol was careless.

Haroun drives forward for Boro and has a speculative effort. The ball is soon back with the same player, whose attempt to find McDonald is pretty woeful and goes straight through to Cech.

Torres gets the ball but his attempt to feed it through to Benayoun is poor.

Boro win it back and the ball goes out for a throw. Off Terry, unsurprisingly, who has been Mr Involved in the last minute or so.

But that goes nowhere - a common theme of this opening period - and Terry has the ball yet again.

Oscar's pass is cut out by Williams. Terry picks up the pieces, and then Benayoun tries to make his way forward.

Moses causes problems, but his powerful run and ball in don't get the reward they could have done from Oscar, who is tentative in his attempted finish.

Leadbitter plays it forward, but the offside flag is up and it's a Chelsea free-kick.

Ake with a foul inside the centre circle - free-kick Boro.

Then Torres does well on the right of the area before playing in a dangerous-looking low cross. Benayoun, though, can't get to that and it runs all the way out.

The kick doesn't get past the first man - too easy for Boro to clear that.

But then Chelsea inject a little bit of pace, and Friend - he's made a good start for Boro - is forced to concede a corner.

Good control by Moses, who then plays it infield to Ramires. But it's all around the centre and isn't really threatening to go anywhere.

Chelsea come forward and Oscar tries to find Moses with a ball into the area. It just eludes the former Wigan man, but that was a decent effort.

...and Middlesbrough defend that one well.

Friend steps in with a good challenge as Moses tries to set off and a run. Torres picks up the pieces...

Boro have a free-kick - Ramires the offender. In it goes, but the Blues clear that one easily enough.

Careless from Middelsbrough - they give it away through Bailey and can be grateful that the ball didn't fall to Victor Moses, who was lurking on the edge of the area.

A bit of neat passing from the home side around halfway - it doesn't go anywhere, and in the end defender Friend plays the ball all the way back to his 'keeper.

Benitez gestures on the touchline as his players try to get the ball towards Torres. Again, Steele is there to collect in the Boro goal.

However, they are not used to winning at the moment - only one of their last nine league games has ended in victory.

As you would expect from a Tony Mowbray side, Middlesbrough are trying to do things constructively. Their passing is neat and - most of the time - they look to play the ball to feet.

Bertrand then finds Ramires. Boro win it back, but then give it away - as does Torres seconds later.

The home side hoist a ball forward down the middle, and John Terry is there with a header.

Bertrand comes forward for the Blues, but that ball will go all the way through to Boro keeper Steele.

Referee Martin Atkinson gets proceedings going, and the ball is soon back with visiting 'keeper Cech.

The captains are shaking hands in the centre circle. Chelsea will get us under way.

A couple of minutes remaining until kick-off at the Riverside. There's a good crowd, and a good atmosphere.

Benitez, meanwhile, has indicated that he does not expect to remain at Chelsea towards the end of the season, saying: "I will be working hard until the end. We have to try to beat Middlesbrough and then move on. My job is to concentrate on the next game, not the speculation."

"Why can't Middlesbrough give Chelsea a really tough game and be competitive? I am sure we will be," he said, praising his players for having "acquitted ourselves pretty well in both games" against top flight sides so far.

Mowbray says Boro won't be over-awed - they beat Premier League Sunderland in the Capital One Cup and only lost narrowly to the competition's eventual winners, Swansea.

Can Boro add to the uncertainty surrounding last season's Champions League winners? We'll find out at 7.45pm.

And this is the team chosen by Rafa Benitez for the Londoners - John Terry is back and Fernando Torres starts: Cech, Ferreira, Ivanovic,Terry, Bertrand, Ramires, Ake, Moses, Oscar, Benayoun, Torres. Subs: Turnbull, Cole, David Luiz, Lampard, Hazard, Marin, Ba.

Manager Tony Mowbray has selected this line-up to take on the Blues tonight: Steele, Bailey, Friend, McManus, Bikey, Williams, Haroun, Leadbitter, McDonald, Main, Carayol. Subs: Leutwiler, Zemmama, Emnes, Ledesma, Hines, Miller, Smallwood.

Championship Middlesbrough welcome Chelsea to the Riverside tonight hoping for a boost to a season that has gone flat in the last couple of months. Although Boro remain just outside the play-offs, they have won only one league game since December 29.