Jose Mourinho ‘not disappointed’ with Tottenham’s draw at Middlesbrough

Jose Mourinho says he is ‘not disappointed’ after Tottenham only managed a draw with Championship side Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Sunday. 

Spurs had to come from a goal down at the Riverside Stadium after Ashley Fletcher had put the hosts ahead in the 50th minute, with Lucas Moura equalising ten minutes later to earn a replay for the Premier League club.

The statistics show that Jose Mourinho’s men dominated possession and had more shots, however they could not find a winner and will have to face Jonathan Woodgate’s ‘Boro again in the coming weeks.

Despite that, the Portuguese coach suggested he is just happy to still be in the hat for the next round of the cup, telling BBC Sport:”This is just the third round and the first for us. We could be out at this moment like a few other Premier League teams.

“Every match is difficult. Championship teams are getting closer to the level of Premier League teams. You could confuse a Premier League team and a Championship team. I wanted more but I cannot say I’m disappointed.”

Mourinho also praised the influence of Giovani Lo Celso and Erik Lamela on the game after they came on as second half substitutes to help Spurs regain some control after Fletcher put Middlesbrough ahead.

He said: “When we were losing 1-0 without strikers or the power to play inside their defensive line with lots of bodies and great goal, at that moment I had the feeling of ‘we are in trouble’.

“But then everyone reacted. I reacted. The boys reacted. “Giovani lo Celso and Erik Lamela helped us a lot.

“If one team has to win, it has to be us because we had so many chances. We missed easy last balls”.

The replay is expected to be played on the 14th or 15th January at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, although no confirmation has yet been given.