Tottenham Hotspur   4    Middlesbrough   0      (Half-time score : 3-0)

  1  Gomes

  4  Zokora
39  Woodgate
20  Dawson
32  Assou-Ekotto

  7  Lennon   
  8  Jenas  (  6  Huddlestone 64)
12  Palacios
14  Modric  (24  O'Hara 73) 

  9  Pavlyuchenko    (10  Bent 53)
15  Keane (c) 

Unused subs: 
23  Cudicini
21  Chimbonda
22  Corluka
  5  Bentley

22  Jones

  6  Pogatetz (c)
14  Huth (  3  A. Taylor 46)
31  Wheater
  2  Hoyte (28  Johnson 70)

  4  O'Neil
20  Arca
26  Bates
19  Downing

17  Tuncay
10  Aliadiere (23  King 53)

Unused subs: 
21  Turnbull
41  Walker
11 Emnes
12 Alves

Keane 9
Pavlyuchenko 13
Lennon 40
Lennon 79

None

    
Pogatetz (foul) 29   

Stan Collymore's assertion on TalkSport that Tottenham would be one of the clubs relegated seemed as accurate as his prediction a week ago that Middlesbrough would get only two more this season, but knowing the North-East team's poor form away from home, it was easy to see why they haven't picked up many points on their travels.  Not that they played badly and they showed more than some other sides who have visited the Lane this season.  In fact, the opening stages of the game were very open and chances were carved out at both ends.

Jonathan Woodgate's shaky start almost handed a goal to Boro after three minutes.  Having mis-directed a couple of weak defensive headers, his square pass across the face of the penalty area was picked up by Stewart Downing and the winger struck a low left-footer that had Heurelho Gomes diving to his left to palm away. Although the ball did not go far wide, BAE was there to clear the danger.  Then, Spurs moved to the other end of the field and when a right wing cross from Jermain Jenas cleared the last man, Aaron Lennon snuck in behind him to stretch and meet it with a volley, but he could only guide it a foot wide of the post where the ball had just come from.

However, it didn't take long to establish the lead, as Keane almost got on the end of Didier Lennon's cross from the right, but was beaten to it by Hoyte, who put the ball out for a corner.  As Modric played the ball in, Michael Dawson got to the ball first at the near post, glanced it into the six yard box and it found Robbie Keane standing alone to volley home his first goal back at Tottenham.  It was a finish Spurs fans know to be typical of the Irishman, but for some reason he didn't find hmself in those positions at Liverpool.

The early goal should have settled Spurs, but Boro kept coming forward and a close offside call robbed Tuncay of a goal when he took a Downing pass down and smashed a shot in off the underside of the crossbar with one move.  Then with 13 minutes gone, Spurs took a 2-0 lead.  A neat bit of passing saw Keane slide the ball onto Luka Modric and with a sway of his shoulder and without touching the ball, he left Robert Huth on his backside and ran into the penalty box.  As he looked up, he saw Roman Pavlyuchenko running into the middle of the goal and squared it for the Russian striker to toe the ball into the net ahead of Justin Hoyte.

A two goal lead was a comfortable start, but the visitors till came forward and Hoyte's right wing cross found Tuncay inside the area and he fired in a shot that looked like it would beat Gomes, but Michael Dawson threw a great block in front of the Turkish forward and kept the ball from getting past him.  It was to be the last chance Middlesbrough had until they got Aliadiere on the end of Hoyte's cross, but put his header across Gomes and wide of the post in injury time.

As for Spurs, they continued to press forward.  Palacios put in a low cross and it hit Bates, with cries for handball, but it was not given, as Howard Webb failed to give very much to Tottenham.  It was a major surprise when Lennon was bundled over by Pogatetz and a yellow card was waved in his direction.  Lennon's low cross was cut out by Wheater just before it got to Keano and then a loose ball across the back line was intercepted by Modric, who went forward to put Keane in on the left side of the area, but Jones rushed off his line to block the captain's shot.

It was in the 40th minute that Tottenham got the third goal that made things at the half time interval even more comfortable.  Spurs had been passing the ball around in their own half and Palacios passed from left to right, where Robbie slipped the ball through Huth's legs and onto Aaron Lennon, who was into the area and passed the ball past the on-rushing Jones to nestle the ball in the bottom of the net.  At 3-0, surely even Tottenham couldn't blow it now.

Southgate made a couple of changes within the first five minutes of the half, but little changed, other than Spurs started to slacken the pace and this handed a bit more of the ball to Boro.  Stewart Downing, trying to impress his prospective new employers, failed to have a game to remember.  He did hit a powerful shot with his wrong foot, which flew wide of the goal and Arca missed by a similar distance with a 25 yard effort.  Having given the ball away, Jenas made ground to track back and nicked the ball away from substitute Marlon King as he prepared to shoot from inside the penalty area  It was just after that when Jenas left the field to applause after another energetic performance, but the exertions of Sunday were catching up with him. Tom Huddlestone came on and showed that he is a player who can hold the ball in tight situations and also a fine passer of the ball.  One fifty yard pass from left of the centre circle to Aaron Lennon on the right wing was right on the little man's toe.  The winger cut inside his marker and curled a cross along the six yard box, but neither Bent nor Keane were far enough forward to get on the end of the very good ball in.

Middlesbrough's closest effort came in the 73rd minute when a ball was played into Julio Arca about 25 yards from goal and he shifted the ball onto his right foot and let fly.  The ball dipped as it flew at goal, but luckily for Spurs, it skimmed the top of the net as it was over the bar.  At least the Argentine meant it, as a cross from the right from Tuncay skewed off his foot and landed against the far post and was kicked away.

With just over ten minutes left, a ball up to Bent saw him have to check and play the ball inside to Keane.  As the Spurs skipper wriggled into the area, Lennon was alongside him and Robbie played the ball into his path.  With only the keeper to beat, Aaron did just that with a neat lift of the ball over him and it was 4-0.  The three points were Tottenham's.

But there was still time for Boro to push forward and Tuncay, the most dangerous Middlesbrough forward found space to hit a low skimming shot off the turf that Gomes did well to get down to and push wide for a corner.  When that was cleared it fell to Downing, who hit a drive that ended up in the crowd.

Near the end of the game, O'Hara played a one-two from a short corner with Lennon and drove his shot too high and in added time at the end of the game, Tuncay had the ball in the net again, but this time his header from Gary O'Neil's free-kick was deemed to be offside once more.

So, an impressive response to the Cup Final defeat, but one which promises much and hopefully, will make Harry Redknapp reassess the Tottenham futures of some of the players who were so influential tonight.

the heathrow spur