Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup dreams dashed after loss to Middlesbrough

Football

Published: 02 Mar. 2022, 16:51 Updated: 02 Mar. 2022, 17:32

Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup dreams dashed after loss to Middlesbrough

Tottenham Hotspur's Korean striker Son Heung-min, left, fights for the ball with Middlesbrough defender Dael Fry during the English FA cup fifth round football match between Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough on Tuesday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Tottenham Hotspur were knocked out of the FA Cup after a 1-0 loss against Middlesbrough on Tuesday at Riverside Stadium.

Tottenham’s 14-year wait for a trophy was cut short during the second half of extra time on Tuesday when Middlesbrough broke through in the 107th minute.

With neither teams able to score during the 90 minutes plus extra time, it was 19-year-old Josh Coburn from the Middlesbrough side who slotted in the only goal of the match after spending just 11 minutes on the pitch.

The loss was another missed opportunity for Korean forward Son Heung-min and playmaking partner Harry Kane.

Kane had a second‑half goal disallowed for being offside and the duo were unable to live up to their new legacy as the greatest goal scoring partnership the Premier League has ever seen.

Son had Spurs’ best chances at scoring but his shots were all saved by Joe Lumley, the Boro goalkeeper or were littered with errors. Son missed a big chance at the end of normal time when he sent a header straight to the Middlesbrough post unmarked, but it was blocked by the goalkeeper.

Then at the end of the first half of extra time, Spurs' Dejan Kulusevsky crossed from the right to Son who tried his back-heel. The ball seemed to pass the goal keeper but Lumley turned around to catch it before it crossed the line.

Tottenham Hotspur's Korean striker Son Heung-min, left, reacts after missing a chance to score during the English FA cup fifth round football match between Middlesbrough and Tottenham Hotspur at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough on Tuesday. [AFP/YONHAP]

With the defeat, Tottenham’s losing streak is now extended to a 15th season. Spurs have not won the FA Cup since 1991 and have not lifted a trophy since 2008 when they beat Chelsea in the League Cup final, ending a nine-year drought.

Son has not been able to win any silverware since he joined Spurs in 2015.

Before the defeat against Middlesbrough, Son scored a goal against Leeds United on Saturday that rounded off a big 4-0 Tottenham Hotspur win over Leeds United. That goal was also the 37th from the Son and Kane duo, officially beating Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard for the most Premier League goal combinations ever.

Despite the duo's achievements, Tottenham's defeat on Tuesday spells the end of their chances at winning some silverware this season, after a League Cup semifinal exit and a disappointing Europa Conference League.

Tottenham are currently seventh in the Premier League with 13 games to go. Fifth or sixth place would still secure a spot in the group stages of the Europa League, and seventh place would earn them a spot in the Europa League playoffs depending on which team wins the FA Cup.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]