FA Cup woe for Spurs as Boro finally get their big moment
A dejected Harry Kane after Tottenham's FA Cup defeat to Middlesbrough. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA
Middlesbrough had waited 117 years to win an FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur, so what was another half an hour?
Spurs lengthy wait for silverware is set to continue after they fell foul of teenage substitute Josh Coburn on another memorable night for Chris Wilder's knockout heroes.
It's 14 years of hurt and counting since Tottenham last won a trophy, an unwanted run extended thanks to a memorable 117th minute finish from the young Yorkshireman, who thrashed an unstoppable angled drive beyond Hugo Lloris to raise the roof at a sold-out Riverside Stadium.
Antonio Conte can have few complaints after Spurs' rollercoaster campaign took its latest turn for the worse as Wilder's men proved their victory against Manchester United in the last round was no flash in the pan.
Coburn wrote his name in club folklore with the decisive goal, his fourth of the season, to seal his side's place in Thursday's draw for the last eight on a night of what might have beens for the visitors, as Son Heung Min wasted two glorious chances to win it at the end of 90 minutes and outset of extra-time.
Boro had failed to emerge victorious against Spurs in this competition in six previous attempts - the first way back in 1905 - but should have rectified that unwanted statistic inside regulation when with 10 minutes remaining substitute Folarin Balogun - on loan form Arsenal - was unable to keep his shot down from an inviting pass from Andraz Sporar There was still time for substitute Steven Bergwijn to miss a good late chance as Boro survived to seal an eighth successive home win.
It wasn't until after the break, and then with 15 minutes of regulation time left when Tottenham switched to a back-four that the tie finally opened-up.
Unchanged from Saturday's four-goal romp at Leeds where they scored three times inside the opening half-hour, Spurs had to show more patience as they did their best to dampen the boisterous Riverside atmosphere.
Despite dominating possession, they didn't create a clear-cut opening in the same timescale as their trio of goals at Elland Road until Dejan Kulusevski's sprint into the area saw the midfielder shape to shoot before Dael Fry's goal-saving tackle.
The hosts were similarly neat in possession but largely unthreatening until they changed tack and went the way of route one. With the Tottenham defence momentarily caught flat-footed, Isaiah Jones was just unable to take Paddy McNair's 50-yard ball over the top in his stride as Hugo Lloris came out to smother the danger.
Lloris' opposite number Joe Lumley - released by Spurs as a 16-year-old - was less convincing. The Middlesbrough keeper's ill-advised dash out of his area in a failed attempt to dispossess Matt Doherty as the Dubliner latched onto a probing through ball. The Republic of Ireland international steadied himself after easily out-foxing Lumley before his attempt towards an unguarded goal flew high and wide from a diminishing angle.
Matt Crooks had been the Teessiders' hero at Old Trafford, scoring his side's equaliser in the penalty shoot-out victory, but Middlesbrough's top scorer wasted a glorious opening to break the deadlock 10 minutes into the second-half.
From Howson's corner, Crooks rose unmarked, but headed horribly over from inside the six yard box.
As the contest became stretched, Lumley atoned for his first-half rush of blood with a fine diving save to keep out a curling Eric Dier free-kick. From the ensuing corner Kane found the net, but a close-range poacher's effort was correctly ruled out for offside.
Jones almost won it at the death, but found Lloris in his way after great work by Marcus Tavernier. Howson headed the resulting corner wide as the crowd strapped in for another 30 minutes.
The chances came thick and fast as legs tired, but it took 19-year-old Coburn to provide the one true moment of quality in front of goal to win it with a goal which will live long in the memory on Teesside.
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