"There are too many ups and downs" - Antonio Conte urges Tottenham Hotspur players to become a 'stable team' after FA Cup exit

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has lamented his side's erratic form after their FA Cup exit on Tuesday. Spurs were beaten by Championship side Middlesbrough, who had ousted Manchester United in the previous round.

Josh Coburn scored the only goal of the game in the 107th minute as Boro knocked Spurs out of the competition, ending their last remaining hopes of winning silverware this season.

The defeat was merely a reflection of Tottenham's recent stop-start run. Their wins over Manchester City, Leicester City and Leeds United has been met with defeats against Southampton, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The north London side hasn't won consecutively in all competitions since December, when they overcame West Ham United and Crystal Palace in back-to-back games.

Speaking to the press after the game, Conte seemed upset with this form, saying:

"We have to learn from this defeat and continue to work. We have to stop these ups and downs. We have to become stronger. If we want to be competitive then we have to be a stable team. We have to continue to work and know there are three months left of the season to try to get the best results."

The Italian manager insisted his side must continue to put in the effort for results to improve.

"I have to try to find the right key to go into the minds of the players. I only know one way - to work and persevere. But I can't hide that there are too many ups and downs. It is a problem, also in the past."

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Tottenham guilty of wasting too many chances

Tottenham have now lost five of their last eight matches in all competitions, failing to score in four of them.

Their attack has misfired for a large part of the season and things didn't quite click for them in the final third on Tuesday either.

Conte hit out at his team for their poor finishing but also complimented Middlesbrough for their performance.

"In this type of game you have to know the difficulty and you have to kill, in a sporting way, your opponent quickly. We had chances to score but didn't take them. We gave confidence to our opponent when that happens. Middlesbrough deserved to win the game. I give great them great compliments. But we should have killed the game before extra-time. We gave Middlesbrough life."

Middlesbrough will learn their opponents for the next round in tomorrow's draw.