Tottenham Player Ratings vs Middlesbrough: Poor Son gets 4; Six or lower for everyone

Son Heung-min struggled and the rest of the team was also poor as Tottenham were eliminated from the FA Cup by Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

Tottenham were happy to sit back and allow Middlesbrough to have the ball in order to pose a threat on the counter-attack at the Riverside Stadium. Dejan Kulusevski had an early opening which was expertly dealt with by Dael Fry, while Matt Doherty missed a gilt-edged chance with the goal gaping close to the 40th-minute mark.

Middlesbrough had their first big chance of the game early in the second period, but Matt Crooks headed over the bar from six yards out, after which Jonny Howson saw an effort drift just wide. Harry Kane then had a goal disallowed for offside at the other end. The hosts upped the ante as full-time approached, with Isaiah Jones having a shot saved by Hugo Lloris, whereas Howson sent his header wide minutes later.

Son Heung-min had a chance to win it for Tottenham late in the game but could not beat Joe Lumley in the Boro goal, with the game going into extra time. The South Korean missed another good chance towards the end of the first half of extra time, while Marcus Tavernier forced Lloris into a save at the other end.

Middlesbrough kept the pressure on their visitors, though, and it finally paid off when Josh Coburn latched on to a pass from Howson before executing a calm finish past Lloris in the 107th minute. Tottenham could not force their way back into the contest and became the Teessiders’ second Premier League victims in the FA Cup this term after Manchester United.

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The result is bound to increase the pressure on manager Antonio Conte. It also means that Tottenham are set to finish without a trophy for the 15th season in a row. 

Tottenham Player Ratings

Hugo Lloris: 6/10

The Tottenham captain had a fairly quiet outing until late in the game when he first made a good stop to keep Jones out and then denied Tavernier in extra time. But Lloris could not have done anything to stop Colburn’s winner.

Cristian Romero: 5.5/10

The Argentine did not look convincing at times, especially when defending against set pieces. He allowed Coburn through for the vital moment of the game. He did make a few key blocks, but was well below his best on the night. 

Eric Dier: 6/10

The centre-back was always on the lookout to launch attacks with his long forward passes. He also posed a goal threat and was close to scoring twice – once from a free-kick and again with a header in extra time. Fairly solid at the back for the most part.

Ben Davies: 6/10

On Tuesday night, the Welshman defended resolutely for large phases and played some good-looking passes into the left-side channel for Ryan Sessegnon to run onto. 

Matt Doherty: 4/10

The former Wolves man had a great opportunity to put Tottenham in the lead after he had rounded Lumley, who had recklessly charged out of his goal. However, Doherty sent his effort off target and then fired another low shot wide not long after. He faded quite a bit in the second half.

Harry Winks: 4/10

Winks was a passenger for the most part and struggled to make any sort of impact. He could not keep up with the opposition when they broke forward at pace and was not penetrative or progressive enough with his passing when in possession. The midfielder also gave away fouls in some dangerous areas.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: 5/10

The Dane fared better than his midfield partner, but not by much. Hojbjerg tried to show some imagination and forward-thinking in his passing, but not everything came off for him. He was also unable to stop his Boro counterparts when they pushed forward.

Ryan Sessegnon: 4/10

The young wing-back started positively and made a couple of positive forward runs in the early exchanges. However, that was as good as it got for Sessegnon, as he faded quite rapidly and spent most of his time at the back before being subbed off.

Dejan Kulusevski: 6/10

The brightest of Tottenham attackers on the night, Kulusevski looked a threat each time he had the ball. He created the chance for Doherty in the first half and fashioned a couple of opportunities for Son Heung-min late in the game, which he missed. There were occasions when his touch let him down, but Kulusevski looked the likeliest to make things happen.

Harry Kane: 5/10

He dropped deep to good effect to launch counterattacks, but that meant that his impact in the box was reduced. The only time he did get into a good goalscoring position, Kane found the back of the net but the goal was ,disallowed for offside.

Son Heung-min: 4/10

A poor outing for the South Korean international, who squandered two great opportunities to win it for Tottenham on the night. Son looked off the pace and was not assured in his touches, often giving the ball away. He got a telling off from Eric Dier in the second period.

SUBSTITUTES

Emerson Royal: 3/10

On for Doherty in the 81st minute and did not make any impact. His most notable contribution came when he played Coburn onside for Boro’s winner.

Steven Bergwijn: 6/10

Sent on for Sessegnon in the 81st minute and instantly livened things up in the final third for Tottenham with his pace, aggression and intensity.

Sergio Reguilon: N/A

Extra-time substitute for Kulusevski.

Dane Scarlett: N/A

Late sub for Davies as Tottenham pushed for an equaliser.