Tottenham won by a mishap as they struggle to find their feet during their clash with Middlesbrough. Mourinho’s boys started off wel then lost momentum at a point in time before picking it back up in the second half. Tottenham edged into the FA Cup fourth round as Giovani Lo Celso surprisingly bagged a rare goal in their 2-1 win over Middlesbrough. Striker Joelinton scored for Brough for the first time since August in a victory against Rochdale on Tuesday.
Jose Mourinho’s side almost killed off second-tier Middlesbrough within the first 15 minutes of the third round replay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Lo Celso, on loan from Real Betis, got Tottenham up and running with only his second goal of the season and his first since a Champions League strike against Red Star Belgrade in November.
It was an encouraging moment for the Argentine midfielder, who has endured a difficult season in north London. Tottenham needed a Lucas Moura equalizer at the Riverside Stadium to avoid a shock exit in the 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough earlier this month.
But Mourinho still made five changes from last weekend’s defeat against Liverpool, with Christian Eriksen, linked with a January move to Inter Milan, starting despite the Dane’s form being affected by the transfer talk.
A gift from Middlesbrough keeper Tomas Mejias helped Tottenham open the scoring in the second minute. Mejias tried to play a quick ball out and ended up passing straight to Lo Celso, who ran across the area before firing into the bottom corner.
Tottenham’s second came when Argentina winger Erik Lamela sliced through the Middlesbrough defence before slotting home in the 15th minute. George Saville got one back for Middlesbrough in the 83rd minute as Tottenham survived a tense finale to earn a trip to Southampton.
