FA Cup: After Man United, Middlesbrough shock Tottenham; Conte vows to improve

After knocking out Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round, Middlesbrough produced another shocker to extend Tottenham Hotspur's long wait for silverware with a 1-0 win after extra time at the Riverside on Tuesday. Teenager Josh Coburn came off the bench to score the only goal with a thumping finish across Hugo Lloris in the 107th minute.

The north London club has not lifted a trophy since the 2008 League Cup win, and another hugely disappointing exit poses further questions over manager Antonio Conte's future. However, the Italian, who took charge in November 2021, insisted that he had the patience to see the job through at Tottenham. 

Conte was previously scathing of the Lilywhites after a similar defeat at Burnley last week, suggesting he might not be the man for the job, but after this loss, he remained calm.

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"At this moment, I'm the last person; I don't think about myself. When I speak with my players and in my team, I say that we have to think about 'us', not 'me'," Conte said.

"For me, no problem, and for me, there is the desire, the will, the patience to try to continue to work very hard to improve, to make this team more stable than in the past, because I think this is the key that can change the situation. I try every day through the work. Also, sometimes to speak. For sure, in this type of situation, you need to find the right key to go into the mind of the players because it's not only sometimes a tactical problem or a technical problem," the Italian added.

"Sometimes you have to try to work and to push in other aspects, the mental aspects and try to stay focused and to work also on the training sessions, to keep focusing," Conte concluded.

In the second half, Harry Kane did have the ball in the net for Tottenham only to be flagged offside. But the England captain may also be again considering his future as he waits to win the first major honour of his career.

Although Tottenham's shocking exit will continue to hog the limelight, one cannot discount Middlesbrough's performance as they proved that eliminating Manchester United in the last round was no fluke. They were the better team and could have won in standard time but for several missed chances.

Something remarkable could be brewing under Chris Wilder, who has already got the team back in the Championship promotion mix, as they reached the last eight of the FA Cup for the first time since 2017.

After the win, Wilder said, "I am very proud of the performance of everybody. I thought the energy that the supporters gave the team was outstanding, it was my first experience of a packed Riverside, and it was amazing. The team rose to the occasion."

"I am an honest manager in my assessment of the game – I would have been deeply disappointed if we had not won that game tonight. I thought we did more than enough to win against a top side with an outstanding manager and some brilliant individuals in it. To turn over one of the favourites for the competition in the fifth round is a brilliant achievement," Wilder added.

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"(The goal) just shows the elation of a young footballer getting a winner for his hometown club in the fifth round against Tottenham Hotspur, which will live for a long time in the memory of Josh. It is a great moment for Josh, his opportunity came about, and it was brilliant for him to smash home the winner," the Englishman concluded.