MIDDLESBROUGH  1  (0)  (After extra time; 0-0 after 90 mins) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR  0  (0)
Date : –  1st March 2022 Kick off : –  19.55
Competition : –  FA Cup Fifth Round  Venue : –  Riverside Stadium
Crowd : –  31,135
Referee : –  Darren England (Sheffield) Linesmen : – Mr. Simon Bennett; Mr. Wade Smith
Fourth official : – Craig Pawson
Observer : – Russell Tiffin
Weather : – Cold, dry
Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the North Stand end
Playing time : –   90 + 6 minutes; Extra time 30 + 5 minutes

 

MIDDLESBROUGH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
GOAL-SCORERS
    Coburn  106m 12s   None
CARDS
  McNair  (foul on Davies)   Romero (confrontation with McNair)
 

 

MIDDLESBROUGH TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
1.   Joe LUMLEY 1.   Hugo LLORIS (c)
     
2.   Anfernee DIJKSTEEL 4.   Cristian ROMERO 
6.   Dael FRY  15.   Eric DIER
17.   Paddy McNAIR      (  14.   Lee PELTIER  105) 33.   Ben DAVIES  (  44.   Dane SCARLETT  115) 
    
35.   Isaiah JONES 2.   Matt DOHERTY  (  12.   Emerson ROYAL  81) 
25.   Matt CROOKS 5.   Pierre-Emile HOJBJERG
16.   Jonny HOWSON  (c)  (  22.   Sol BAMBA  118)   8.   Harry WINKS
7.   Marcus TAVERNIER 19.   Ryan SESSEGNON   (  23.   Steven BERGWIJN 81)  
3.   Neil TAYLOR   (  27.   Marc BOLA  96)     
21.   Dejan KULUSEVSKI  (  3.   Sergio REGUILON  105)  
11.   Andraz SPORAR  (  37.   Josh COBURN  96  ) 7.    Heung-Min SON
18.   Duncan WATMORE  (  47.   Falarin BALOGAN  75 )    
10.   Harry KANE
Substitutes Substitutes
13.   Toyosi OLUSANYA 22.   Pierluigi GOLLINI
23.   James Lea SILIKI 6.   Davinson SANCHEZ
28.   Luke DANIELS 14.   Joe RODON
50.   Caolan BOYD-MUNCE 42.   Harvey WHITE
  45.   Alfie DEVINE

 

Manager : – Chris Wilder Manager : –  Antonio Conte
Kit Supplier : – Hummel Kit Supplier : – Nike
Shirt Sponsor : – 32 Red Shirt Sponsor : – AIA
Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : – Baxter Personnel Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : – cinch
Colours : – 
Colours : –
Images of kits courtesy of the marvellous Colours of Football website

 

MATCH REPORT
Spurs were dumped out of the FA Cup at this Fifth Round stage by a determined Middlesbrough side aided by a lackadaisical performance that failed to match the Championship side’s effort.

It was another inconsistent performance by Spurs who faced a hard-working Middlesbrough side, but one who they should have dispatched, but allowed the home team to have the better of the chances and the bulk of the possession.  The players must face up to the fact that they have to shoulder the blame for failing to get any closer to the trophy they all want to win, but some of the responsibility must lie with the coach who failed to respond to the situation and the tactical changes during the game didn’t help, going from 3-4-2-1 to 4-3-2-1 just seemed to upset the players roles in the side.  It looked like another cold and dreary night in the North is not what the team respond to, whereas with the sun on their backs against Leeds, they turned in a decent display.

Spurs had the early pressure on the home goal with a couple of balls into the box, but they couldn’t create anything as Middlesbrough brought all their players back to defend. After the first five minutes, Boro settled down a bit and enjoyed some possession, but when that was turned over Spurs looked to play out and Kulusevski’s control let him down. When they did break out Sessegnon won a foot race with Jones and won a corner when a ball across the near post for Kane was cleared out. Doherty bent another ball across the face of goal, looking for Sessegnon at the far post, but he was offside.

Boro were dropping deep into their own half and while Spurs had to play the ball backwards at times, they were building moves and were finding ways around the red wall. There was a crack in that wall from the clash of heads between Fry and Dijksteel, but they were OK to carry on after being checked out. Having initially lost the ball Davies did well to get between the ball and Jones, with the Boro defender nudging Ben over.  Jones is very rapid and Davies did well to nullify the threat.

Halfway through the half, it was Spurs who pulled everyone back to defend to give Boro problems in finding a way through. Adopting a 5-4-1 set-up, the idea was to win the ball and break fast on Boro.  it was a slower move however that put Kukusevski in the box, but he was well covered by Fry who made a good tackle as it looked like Dejan would shoot. Son almost got released but Hojbjerg’s ball over the top, but it held up and the Boro players got back to take the ball. While Spurs appeared comfortable on and off the ball, there were few chances being created and as we found out at Burnley, 0-0 is one of the dangerous scores the longer the game goes on.

McNair threw himself to the floor in the Spurs box, much to the disgust of Cristian Romero, but the referee had read that intended deception well.  Boro had a better chance when a long ball got Jones in behind the Spurs defence, but the ball skipped away from him and Lloris came to secure the ball.  A lot of players were having trouble controlling the ball and keeping their footing, but Dejan did well to hold off three players on the left of the box to cross back across goal towards Harry Kane, but it was a bit too long. Tottenham waited their moment and when a move broke on the left corner of the Spurs box, Winks nicked it onto Kane and the ball went right to Doherty. In space, Lumley raced out and sold himself, as Doherty touched it beyond him, but with the goal unprotected, his attempted shot drifted over the bar.

Spurs managed to open up Boro with Hojbjerg getting away on the right to cross for Ryan to head at goal, but it was blocked by Jones. The move continued with the ball being shifted to Doherty on the right, but he dragged his shot wide across Lumley’s goal a minute before the 45 were up.

The second half started with no team changes and a strong run by Kulusevski brought a central free-kick 25 yards out, but Kane’s footing gave way and the ball went weakly into the wall. At the Spurs end, Jones looked like he had a good opportunity in the Spurs box, but he threw himself to the ground shamefully and no penalty as given, but neither was a yellow card for an obvious dive.

The home side then won their first corner of the match with a steal that brought a cross that was blocked at the near post, which was more than was done from the corner, when  Crooks had a free header six yards out but planted it over the bar. McNair hauled down Davies after the ball was won off him and only a yellow card was shown and then Romero rushed in and got the same. Shame the ref didn’t think the dive in the box was worthy of a caution. When the game got to restart, Dier bent one that was heading into the left side of the keeper’s goal, but Lumley got over to push it wide.  Romero flicked it on at the near post and Kane swivelled to turn the ball over the line, but with no VAR, the offside flag ruled it out.

McNair went down injured as the first sell-out crowd at the Riverside for five years got very excited about a disallowed goal. When Jones ran from right infield, Winks’ nudge gave Boro a free-kick on the edge of the box that was touched short to Howson, who fired in a shot that rippled the outside of the side-netting. Tottenham’s sense of urgency and the accuracy of the passing dropped dramatically in the second half, allowing Boro to control the game more easily. Son was dispossessed by three players and Boro broke to set up a chance for substitute Balogan, but he skied his effort into the crowd. Within a minute of coming on Steven Bergwijn showed his pace, breaking forward to exchange passes with Harry Kane and the Dutchman took a little too long to shoot and McNair got a block tackle in to make a saving tackle.

Dier won a header at the near post, but it was too far ahead of that position and quite low too, so Eric’s header went over. Bergwijn then broke through the middle and slipped a neat pass forward for Kane, but the keeper was out to block and the offside flag went up once more. It was similar when a move was broken up in the centre circle and the ball was run forward. Passing to Jones on the right in the box his low shot was saved by Hugo and cleared by Dier for a corner and Howson was on his own at the far post, but he could only put his header wide, with a big chunk of goal to aim at.

The game was getting stretched and Son broke on our left wing to square for Kulusevski, but he got the ball stuck under his foot and the ball ran gently through to Lumley. The keeper did well to get down to his right to keep out Son’s header at the second attempt after Kulusevski had found him from the right wing. With the last kick of normal time, Sporar tried to score from way out, but too high and the game was going to go to extra time.

Spurs kicked off and had the first opportunity with Kulusevski coming inside from right of centre to shoot low back across the keeper, who looked to have got a touch on the ball, but the ref gave a goal-kick. Dejan’s cross from the right was cleared, but Davies won a header back into the box and Son was unmarked, but as he turned he missed the ball and it was particularly annoying as he was onside.

Winks’ pass fell short of Bergwijn 30 yards from Middlesbrough’s goal and Jones ran up their right wing, pulling the ball across for it to come to Balogan, who dwelt on the ball and Spurs cleared it.  Their next attack saw a ball slipped through into the six-yard box, but loris was on the ball saving ahead of Crooks and then a number of red shirts were in the Spurs box and the ball was played out to Howson, who rashly fired his shot over the top. Then Jones’ cross picked out Tavernier at the far post, but his volley was kept out by Lloris’ legs to keep the score at 0-0.

Spurs were slipping back into the Burnley performance, as Boro were keener to win the ball and we were looking sluggish. When they did get forward, Kulusevski got to the dead-ball line and squared it to Son, two yards out from goal. He had his back to goal, so tried to drag the ball behind him and somehow Lumley kept the ball out as it looked like it might sneak under him.

The second half started with a Middlesbrough goal inside two minutes of the game re-starting.  The ball was slipped through to Coburn on the right and he ran into the box before he thumped the ball across Lloris to find the net.  Balogan looked offside as he ran over the ball to the scorer, but no VAR meant nothing was going to wipe it out.

Spurs responded with a shot from Son, that Lumley fumbled out. It was only in the last minute of extra time that Spurs got another effort on target with Dier’s header to a corner coming off Crooks to be saved at the base of his left hand post by the keeper. When the resulting corner came in, it was cleared and Boro broke away with Balogan pulling his shot wide of the far post from the left of the goal. Tottenham were saved from further embarrassment when Hugo had to come out to head away from Coburn as the ball was attempted to be lifted over him, just ten yards inside the Tottenham half.

It was a win one lose one, win one lose one for Spurs and the consistency that Conte seeks is still a long way off. Boro were up for the match and Spurs approached it too casually,  thinking that a goal would come along, but without the effort that was shown on Saturday at Leeds, the rewards are unlikely to be forthcoming. Conte will be wondering what he has to do to get a tune out of this team game after game. The Manchester City win seems like another planet now.

Colin Sparrow

 

MATCH NOTES
There was a minute’s applause in support of Ukraine, which had been invaded by Russia in the preceding five days.

Tottenham’s first defeat by Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

Middlesbrough’s goal was their 150th against Spurs in competitive matches.

Tottenham’s first loss to a team in a lower division in extra time in the FA Cup.

 

OTHER RESULTS IN THE FIFTH ROUND
Peterborough United 0 Manchester City 2
Crystal Palace 2 Stoke City 1
Luton Town 2 Chelsea 3
Liverpool 2 Norwich City 1
South Coast Big Club 3 West Ham United London 1
Everton 2 Boreham Wood 0
Nottingham Forest 2 Huddersfield Town 1