Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick was left delighted with their Carabao Cup quarterfinal win at Port Vale.
Jonny Howson, Morgan Rogers and Matt Crooks scored for the 3-0 win.
Carrick later said: "Key moments in matches change momentum. It's one of the unfathomable vagaries of the game we love. And we're in the semi-finals now. Who would have thought that?
"It's about managing the energy in the stadium. But we defended well when we had to defend and the boys were terrific.
"It felt comfortable with 10 or 15 minutes to go, which is nice, but you've got to play well to earn that in the first place and we did."
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!