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Alan Shearer has taken shots at Tottenham Hotspur, labelling their FA Cup exit at Middlesbrough as 'typical'. The Premier League legend added that the Championship side were better in every aspect, and deserved to win on the night.
Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup on Tuesday night after a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough. That was despite Spurs manager Antonio Conte sending out his best XI, suggesting that he was not taking the competition lightly.
However, his players could not do the job, as Boro sneaked a 1-0 win in extra time, courtesy Josh Coburn's 107th-minute strike, to reach the next round. Speaking on BBC after the game, Shearer lauded Middlesbrough. He said:
"This was no fluke. Spurs were so flaky, typical Tottenham. They (Middlesbrough) were the better team from start to finish. They were first to every tackle; they created chances, and had more energy. Certainly in extra-time, they made the better substitutions, and Chris Wilder can be extremely proud of what his team has achieved tonight."
"What a night for Middlesbrough and their fans; he (Wilder) was up for it; the players were up for it; it's a shame the Tottenham players weren't up for it. Typical Tottenham; Middlesbrough thoroughly deserved to be in the quarter-finals."
Former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe, who was also present in the studio, added:
"This is massively disappointing from a Tottenham point of view. No disrespect to Middlesbrough; you expect Tottenham to come here and dominate. Middlesbrough played with urgency and got stronger and stronger. Their younger players came on and made an impact."
Antonio Conte on Tottenham Hotspur's FA Cup exit
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte admitted that the club lost a big chance of ending their trophy drought following the Middlesbrough defeat.
The club are now no longer in contention for any silverware this season. They are seventh in the Premier League, trailing leaders Manchester City by a whopping 24 points.
Speaking to the media after the game, the Italian said:
"I feel we lost a big chance here. When you are playing against a team that have played in the Premier League, you have to kill in a sporting way, your opponent. When you don't score the chances you create, then you give them confidence. They deserved to go to the next round, and compliments to them."
Next up for Spurs are Everton in the Premier League before they head to Old Trafford to face Manchester United next weekend.
