Teenager Carlton Cole made his bid for Chelsea's FA Cup final squad with a stunning header on his first senior start.

The 6ft 3in 18-year-old has been in prolific form for the reserves and youth sides, and took his chance when Claudio Ranieri made a late decision not to risk Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink after a worry over a calf-strain in the warm-up at the Riverside.

Cole - a player whom Chelsea chairman Ken Bates has already predicted will play for England - was a handful for the Boro defence all afternoon, and will have high hopes of making the bench for the final against Arsenal despite this being only his second senior appearance.

Chelsea, for whom Emmanuel Petit was a splendid force in the centre of midfield, wrapped up matters just before the break through Boudewijn Zenden's deflected goal, though Middlesbrough at least made a fight of it in the second half.

Things might have been different if Middlesbrough's Gareth Southgate has not been missing due to a broken nose suffered at Ipswich in midweek, ending his hopes of being a league ever-present this season, and without being booked once.

The game kicked off 10 minutes late after the West Stand was evacuated due to a fire alarm, and within four minutes Chelsea had set out their stall, Mark Schwarzer forced to make a fine block.

Zenden somehow bundled his way past Robbie Stockdale to find himself faced with only Schwarzer to beat. The Dutchman should have scored but the Boro keeper came swooping out of goal.

It was the home side then who nearly took the lead. Benito Carbone was the instigator, sliding a ball into the area for Jonathan Greening, making the sort of well-timed run that Freddie Ljungberg has been doing for Arsenal, to meet first-time and shoot left-footed into the side-netting.

Boro did get the ball in the net twice but the efforts from Franck Queudrue and Colin Cooper were ruled out for offside and pushing respectively. Cole attempted a snap-shot from 20 yards but was way off-target, before Gronkjaer fired straight at Schwarzer after a lovely lofted-pass by Gianfranco Zola allowed him to cut in past Queudrue.

In the 38th minute, Chelsea finally made their possession tell, and it was Cole who made the breakthrough.

Petit swung in a free-kick from the right and the tall youngster leaped above Cooper and planted an excellent header from 12 yards beyond Schwarzer.

Almost immediately, Boro wasted a golden opportunity to equalise. Windass chested a ball into the path of Greening but the winger slipped as he was about to shoot and the ball trickled tamely to Carlo Cudicini.

Three minutes before the break, Zenden made it 2-0 with a deflected shot. Noel Whelan had had a shot blocked at the other end, Petit found Zenden on the halfway line and the Dutch winger ran to the edge of the area before hitting a drive which deflected off Cooper and into the net.

Boro's fans were quiet all game apart from a vocal party of 200 schoolchildren sitting behind one goal and taunting Chelsea's away support.

Even they became became quiet at 2-0 - quite what misdemeanour they had done to deserve such punishment was anyone's guess.

Boro boss Steve McClaren made three substitutions at half-time, and Robbie Mustoe, Carbone, and Windass made way for Szilard Nemeth, Michel Debeve and Stewart Downing, a left-footed 17-year-old of as much promise as Cole.

The impact was almost immediate - they should have been on from the start. Downing swung in a good corner and Ehiogu won the header but put it a yard too high.

Marcel Desailly made two crucial interventions as Boro continued to press, first clearing another dangerous ball from Downing, then cutting out Nemeth's threatening low cross. Ehiogu then blocked out Cole after a classy turn and shot by the Chelsea youngster.

A glorious chance to get back into the game went begging when Debeve found space down the right and floated a cross over the Chelsea defence to Whelan, who tried to pick the spot for his header but was hopelessly wide.

Whelan then laid on a half-chance for Debeve, and the substitute struck a superb angled drive that missed the far post by inches.

Chelsea struck back, as Cole burst past Queudrue and drove the ball at goal, the ball thumping into Schwarzer's chest with force. It was the teenager's final kick, as he was replaced by Mario Stanic and departed to a standing ovation from the Chelsea fans.

Zola and Stanic both made the net billow near the final whistle, but it was the side-netting in both cases.

Teams

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Stockdale, Ehiogu, Cooper, Queudrue, Mustoe (Nemeth 45), Ince, Greening, Whelan, Carbone (Debeve 45), Windass (Downing 45).

Subs Not Used: Crossley, Gavin.

Booked: Whelan, Stockdale, Ince.

Chelsea: Cudicini, Gallas, Desailly, Terry, Melchiot, Gronkjaer (Dalla Bona 78), Lampard, Petit (Jokanovic 70), Zenden, Zola, Cole (Stanic 75).

Subs Not Used: de Goey, Gudjohnsen.

Booked: Zenden.

Goals: Cole 38, Zenden 43.

Att: 28,686

Ref: B Knight (Orpington).