Match Report Leeds 0 Spurs 4 & Match Preview Middlesbrough (FA 5th Rd)

Match Report Leeds 0 Spurs 4 & Match Preview Middlesbrough (FA 5^th Rd)

(Below is a match preview for our FA Cup 5th Rd game against Middlesbrough)

What a day it turned out to be at Elland Road. Everybody was in good spirits, and our fans seemed to think that our defeat at Burnley was just a blip. Before the game, during the game and after the game, the Spurs fans were singing/ chanting, "Jimmy Savile is one of your own," trying to provoke the Leeds fans. I knew this would eventually provoke retaliation after the game finished, and it did. I witnessed many bunch ups with the police finally jumping in and making arrests.

We stayed up at Leeds the night before (hotel) and parked our car in the car park space while getting a taxi to the ground the next day.

Once at Elland Road stadium, we made our way to the turnstiles – getting a programme on the way – and then meeting others.

Once in the ground, the chanting started, and it wasn't long to wait for kick-off.

The match

After just ten minutes, we broke the stalemate when Ryan Sessegnon broke clear down the left and delivered a perfectly weighted cross for Matt Doherty to sweep home. Dejan Kulusevski got in the second before Harry Kane's composed finish made it 3-0 on the half-hour mark.

Second half

Son latched on to Kane's ball over the top of the home defence in the second half and beat Illan Meslier with a brilliant finish.

As for Leeds, their Robin Koch and Raphinha struck the woodwork, and Stuart Dallas should have scored a consolation before our fourth, but the hosts rarely looked capable of forging a route back into the game as we continued to carve out chances on the counter-attack.

My thoughts

This result lifts us to within five points of fourth-placed Manchester United, while Leeds are now just two points above the bottom three.

As for their manager, Biel, he had insisted before Saturday's game that he had no intention of walking out on the club, despite being "very worried" about his team's poor recent form. Still, eventually, it was too much for him, and he walked the plank. Another manager bites the dust this season.

We carved Leeds like one would do for a Sunday roast, opening them at will in the early stages. Our 3-0 lead after just 27 minutes is a fair representation of our dominance. It could have been 4-0 just after the half-hour mark, but Sessegnon fired straight at Meslier's legs from a tight angle.

Leeds fans were booing their team's poor crap display at halftime and throughout the second half, as the game had already been lost by then.

Conte had cast doubt on his future in an emotional interview following a defeat at Burnley. Still, he reiterated his commitment to the club before Saturday's encounter, insisting he retains the full support of chairman Daniel Levy.

Despite losing four of our previous five league matches before the trip to Elland Road, we remain firmly with hope for a top-four finish, with games in hand on fourth-placed Man United and the bubble-blowers, in sixth.

Match Preview; Middlesbrough v Spurs FA Cup 5^th Rd. Tuesday

We will be aiming to book our spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup when we travel to the Riverside Stadium.

We beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 at home in the previous round of the competition, while Middlesbrough overcame Manchester United at Old Trafford, winning a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.

Tottenham

Following our 3-2 victory away to Manchester City on February 19, we were brought tumbling down to earth at Burnley, suffering a 1-0 humiliation at Turf Moor. Then being us, we bounced back with our victory over Leeds… we need to knock this "Spursy" tag off us and stop being a laughing stock.

We have won the FA Cup on eight previous occasions, the last of which was in 1991, when we beat Nottingham Forest in the final, since then we have not managed to win a major trophy since lifting the League Cup in 2008, which is simply too long for a team that claims to be one of the top elite clubs in Europe.

Conte will be anxious to lead his side into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Tuesday.

 

Middlesbrough FA Cup form:

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Middlesbrough form (all competitions):

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Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup form:

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Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

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Team News

Middlesbrough

They will again be without the services of Marc Bola due to injuries, but Crooks is back from a suspension and should return to the starting side.

There is every chance that Wilder could select the same XI, with Folarin Balogun being joined by Andraz Sporar in the final third of the field.

Tottenham

Rodrigo Bentancur will miss out with an ankle problem, while Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are also significant doubts due to their recent injury problems.

Lucas Moura is also facing a battle to be available for the FA Cup contest, having missed out against Leeds due to a knock he picked up in training.

My possible starting lineup:

Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Winks, Hojbjerg, Reguilon; Kulusevski, Kane, Son

Thoughts and prediction

Middlesbrough 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur

Going by our games against Burnley, Southampton etc., we should not take Middlesbrough lightly. I don't think the home side will score. Kane and Son were excellent against Leeds at the weekend, and the pair could combine again to send Spurs into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

That's it, folks, Come On You Spurs!!!

All the best, Glenn