Boro spurred by cup win

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has warned his players Saturday's victory over Liverpool will count for nothing if they fail to follow it up at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.

Boro ended a depressing run of 15 Barclays League games without a win by crushing Liverpool's title hopes with a 2-0 triumph at the Riverside and Southgate hopes his side can record a win over Tottenham in the wake of their Carling Cup final exploits.

With Boro unbeaten in their last four games, reaching the FA Cup last eight in the process, Southgate said: "The cup win against West Ham worked well for us because it brought the belief back. But, funnily enough, I saw the players were unusually relaxed in the lead up to the Liverpool game."

He added: "In fact they were so relaxed I thought complacency might set in.

"They needed a bit of a gee-up and we had to give them one before the game.

"They could hardly have done any better than they did on Saturday because we fully deserved the three points."

Speaking to the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, Southgate added: "Now we have to build on this.

"The confidence has flooded back, and we have to take full advantage by going to Tottenham and getting a result."

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