Middlesbrough 1 Tottenham 1: Lucas Moura saves Spurs’ blushes after Fletcher goal threatened giant-killing
LUCAS MOURA was Spurs’ saviour as they avoided an embarrassing early exit from the FA Cup.
Jose Mourinho’s men were facing a first third-round exit in six years when Ashley Fletcher opened the scoring for Championship Middlesbrough.
But Moura spared the Special One’s blushes when he headed in Serge Aurier’s cross to set up a replay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In the build-up to this tie, Mourinho insisted he knew how much the FA Cup meant to Spurs fans having watched Ricky Villa’s famous final winner on TV at his home in Portugal in 1981.
He has only actually lifted the trophy once himself - in 2007 with Chelsea - and his last game in the competition before today was when he lost the 2018 final with Manchester United.
But Mourinho has a happy habit of picking up silverware in his first season with a new club.
And his Tottenham are at least still in the hat for tomorrow's fourth-round draw after surviving this Riverside scare.
Knowing the FA Cup is his side’s best chance of glory, Mourinho fielded his strongest possible XI on Teesside.
In the opposite dugout was Jonathan Woodgate, who scored Spurs’ winner when they last won a trophy - the League Cup in 2008.
And the Boro boss was not ready to roll over against his former club, also picking a full-strength side and handing a debut to Patrick Roberts, a new loan signing from Manchester City.
And they came so close to an early opener when they had three shots saved by Paulo Gazzaniga in the same frantic passage of play.
From Paddy McNair’s free-kick, Dael Fry’s header was kept out by the Spurs stopper, who also blocked his rebound and then beat away George Saville’s follow-up.
After that let-off, Tottenham dominated possession and Ryan Sessegnon should have scored from Serge Aurier’s cross, but seemed surprised to receive the ball and chested wide.
But five minutes after the break, Jonny Howson beat Dele Alli to Aurier’s loose control and Marcus Tavernier tapped to Saville, who clipped a ball over the top to Fletcher.
The Boro striker could well have been ruled offside had VAR been in action, as his armpit appeared a fracton ahead of Eric Dier.
But Fletcher, who left Manchester United just after Mourinho took charge there in 2016, showed great composure to bring down Saville’s pass and slot past Gazzaniga.
It was his fourth goal in five games - and it left Mourinho going ballistic at the officials.
Yet with Spurs levelled 11 minutes later when Moura peeled off the back of Howson to get on the end of Aurier’s cross.
Boro did not let their heads drop and Fletcher could have had a second after Vertonghen lost the ball and Gazzaniga was forced to save.
But it was Boro keeper Tomas Mejias who made sure of a replay.
The Spaniard, who played under Mourinho at Real Madrid, tipped sub Erik Lamela’s 25-yard strike wide, then acrobatically kept out Moura’s whipped shot from the edge of the box.
And when Aurier blasted a late chance high and wide, the draw was secure.