MY ACCOUNT
Tottenham became the second high-profile scalp in as many FA Cup rounds for Middlesbrough as Chris Wilder’s men won 1-0 after extra time to secure passage to the quarter-finals.
Boro academy graduate Josh Coburn was the hero, firing home superbly in the second half of the additional 30 minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Antonio Conte’s men were hoping to avoid the fate suffered by Manchester United last month, but Spurs ultimately paid the price for their wastefulness as the hosts claimed a memorable victory.
Flashpoints were few and far between in the first 45 minutes, but the contest did generally improve after the interval, with Harry Kane scoring only to see his tap-in disallowed for a foul.
Both sides were indebted to their goalkeepers as the game went to extra time, and Middlesbrough were rewarded for their greater endeavour as teenager Coburn landed the decisive blow.
A low-quality first half provided very little to get excited about until 40th minute when goalkeeper Joe Lumley was beaten to the ball out wide as he flew out of his area, but Matt Doherty miscued his eventual effort as he shot over the empty net.
It was hardly the precursor to a second-half onslaught, however, with Boro the next to go close in the 53rd minute through a free Matt Crooks header that went over.
Spurs finally tested Lumley just before the hour, the goalkeeper preventing Eric Dier’s 30-yard free-kick from finding the top-right corner, and Kane had a goal disallowed from the resulting corner after tugging a defender’s shirt.
Chances began to flow for both sides towards the end of regulation time, with Paddy McNair’s last-ditch challenge denying Steven Bergwijn, while Lumley and Hugo Lloris made crucial saves from Son Heung-min and Isaiah Jones, respectively.
Extra time beckoned and not only did Boro look sharp at the back, they carved Spurs open with 107 minutes played, Coburn smashing beyond the helpless Lloris.
What does it mean? One step forward and two steps back for Spurs
Spurs beat Manchester City, then lost to Burnley. That led to an outburst from Conte that made it look like he was about to walk. Then he calmed down, they beat Leeds United 4-0 and the coach was all jolly again.
It will be interesting to see how he reacts to this defeat, as it was arguably worse than the Burnley one – at least they share a division with the Clarets.
At the Riverside, Middlesbrough were up for a real scrap, personified by captain Jonny Howson, whereas Spurs struggled to impose themselves for long stretches, which will be a concern for Conte.
Howson leads by example
He left a bit to be desired in terms of his use of the ball – one passage saw him give it away three times in about 15 seconds – but Howson’s spirit and tenacity were key components for Boro. The former Leeds United and Norwich City man gained possession (14) more often and attempted more tackles (five) than anyone else on the pitch, while his three interceptions was a joint-high.
Sessegnon struggles
Boro were very active down their right, particularly with Jones, and Ryan Sessegnon struggled to counter that. He was not especially convincing defensively and offered little attacking threat, failing to register a single key pass from wing-back.
Key Opta Facts
– Middlesbrough beat Tottenham for the first time in the FA Cup in their seventh encounter against them in the competition (D2 L4).
– Tottenham have been eliminated from a domestic cup match after losing in extra time against a side from a lower division for the first time in their history.
– Middlesbrough have knocked out multiple top-tier opponents (Manchester United and Tottenham) as a non-top-flight side in the same FA Cup season for the first time since 1991-92 (Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday).
– Tottenham have lost seven of their 13 matches in 2022 – among Premier League sides, only Brentford (8) have lost more games in all competitions since the turn of the year.
– Middlesbrough have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2016-17, where they were beaten 2-0 by Manchester City.
What’s next?
Middlesbrough will find out their next opponents on Thursday in the quarter-final draw. Spurs now turn their focus back to the Premier League, with Everton the visitors on Monday.
