Replay needed after Riverside draw
Lucas Moura's equaliser set up an FA Cup third round replay against Middlesbrough as we drew 1-1 at The Riverside on Sunday afternoon.
Ashley Fletcher had beaten the off-side trap to fire the Championship side ahead five minutes into the second period but Lucas was on hand to apply a firm header to Serge Aurier's cross to bring us back on level terms just past the hour mark.
Aurier himself could have won it for us two minutes from time but blazed his shot over the bar, meaning Boro and their management team of Spurs legends Jonathan Woodgate and Robbie Keane can look forward to a trip to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the week after next as we try again to reach the fourth round.
Boro pressed us right back in the early exchanges but we soon began to see more of the ball and it was Christian Eriksen who was central to our two best chances of the first period. His fierce eighth-minute shot from just outside the area hit goalkeeper Tomas Mejias and the hosts' defence were able to scramble the rebound clear, while the Danish international's dangerous whipped ball into the box from the right was turned inches past his own post by Paddy McNair on the 20-minute mark.
Middlesbrough would have taken the lead three minutes later had it not been for Paulo Gazzaniga, the Argentine stopper making a fine double save from Dael Fry at the back post following McNair's free-kick, with Marcus Tavernier's subsequent shot blocked on the line by Toby Alderweireld with Gazzaniga also primed to block it once more. At the other end, Boro were getting tight to our players and we had several bodies to try to play through, but we did fashion a chance two minutes before the break when Aurier sent a decent delivery over to the back post, but Ryan Sessegnon couldn't get a proper contact on the ball under pressure and it trickled behind off him for a goal-kick.
We fell behind five minutes into the second half when George Saville pinged a ball over the top and Fletcher beat the off-side trap to go clean through and fire in via a deflection off Gazzaniga. But 11 minutes later it was 1-1 as Aurier's peach of a cross from the right flank was planted home by Lucas at the far post.
Fletcher fired straight at Gazzaniga after a brief lapse in concentration at the back on 69 minutes but we had the better of the last 20 minutes. Substitute Erik Lamela and Lucas both produced outstanding saves from Mejias from distance before that final big chance for Aurier on 88 minutes - he seemingly just had to hit the target from inside the box after Lamela laid the ball into his path on the break, but the right-back smashed his effort over the bar and with it went our hopes of winning the tie on the day.
Key moment
Lucas' goal ensured we remain in the hat for Monday's draw. As we have done so often of late we conceded first, but we had the Brazilian international to thank for a fine header that got us back on level terms on 61 minutes, ensuring Boro didn't have much time to defend their lead.
Jose's view
Head Coach Jose Mourinho reflected: "Honestly, when you are losing 1-0 away against these strong Championship teams - very physical, well organised - you have a risk of losing the game. The great thing for me after conceding the goal, everybody reacted. I reacted on the bench, the players reacted on the pitch, the fans were amazing, losing, they stayed behind the team until the end and by what we did in the last part of the game we deserved to win it, but it’s not just about arriving in scoring positions or in assist positions or crossing positions, which we did magnificently, it’s about putting the ball in the net and we did that only once."
Reaction on Spurs TV
Match data
Goals: Middlesbrough - Fletcher 50; Spurs - Lucas 61.
Yellow cards: Middlesbrough - Saville 85; Spurs - Dele 45, Lamela 85.
Referee: Stuart Attwell.
Venue: The Riverside.
Weather: Mild, 10 degrees.
Attendance: 26,693.