Middlesbrough put their Premier League woes behind them as they eased through to the last eight of the FA Cup.
First-half double sees Southgate's men into last eight
Middlesbrough put their Premier League woes behind them as they eased through to the last eight of the FA Cup at the expense of West Ham.
Boro have not won in the league since November - a run which has seen them drop into the bottom three - but they showed few signs of a lack of confidence as they swept the Hammers aside.
A superb Stewart Downing free-kick fired the home side ahead as he curled a left-footer beyond the dive of Robert Green to give Boro a fifth-minute lead.
And the returning Tuncay doubled the lead on 20 minutes as he caught out James Tomkins to fire home from the edge of the box.
The Hammers rarely troubled Brad Jones in the Boro goal and it was the hosts who came close to extending their advantage on several occasions.
Now Gareth Southgate will be hoping his charges can transfer their Cup form to the Premier League, starting with Liverpool's visit to the Riverside on Saturday.
Southgate had insisted before the game that, contrary to the message apparently sent out by an "unfortunately-worded" letter to some of the Riverside regulars, that he wanted them to make as much noise as possible.
But with 20 minutes of the game gone, the Teessiders had rediscovered their killer touch to put the Hammers firmly on the back foot.
Desperation
Record signing Afonso Alves was left on the bench as Southgate instead turned to Tuncay and Jeremie Aliadiere in attack, but it was Downing who produced a top-drawer finish to get his side off to the perfect start.
The England international curled home a stunning free-kick to leave Robert Green grasping at thin air and edge his side closer to the last eight.
Downing might have doubled his tally with 16 minutes gone when he ran on to Matthew Upson's criminally careless pass in-field, but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.
However, the second goal arrived just four minutes later when central defender Tomkins, in his desperation to cut out Gary O'Neil's long ball to Aliadiere, succeeded only in hooking it into the path of Tuncay.
The Turkey international, who had not scored since the first week of December, still had plenty to do, but he controlled his volley superbly to beat the stranded Green.
West Ham responded briefly with midfielder Radoslav Kovac forcing a smart 23rd-minute save from Jones but with Downing, Aliadiere and Tuncay giving the hosts the kind of cutting edge they have lacked so often this season, it was they who continued to dominate.
They might have all but ended the tie as a contest five minutes before the break when Downing cushioned O'Neil's raking cross into Tuncay's path, but the striker lashed his left-footed shot high over the bar.
Boro could have strengthened their position further within three minutes of the restart when Justin Hoyte picked out Aliadiere inside the penalty area and he turned smartly to fire in a shot which flew just wide with the help of a crucial deflection off Tomkins.
Substitute David Di Michele, who had mishit a volley within seconds of his arrival, turned provider on the hour to hand Scott Parker a gilt-edged chance to drag his side back into the game, but he pushed his shot agonisingly wide of the post with just Jones to beat.
But Green too had to be on his toes to keep Aliadiere out seven minutes later after Hoyte and O'Neil had combined to play him in.
Matthew Bates and Tuncay both went close as time ran down, but the win had already been assured.
| Middlesbrough |
Team Statistics |
West Ham United |
| 2 |
Goals |
0 |
| 2 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 8 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 6 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 3 |
Blocked Shots |
1 |
| 8 |
Corners |
5 |
| 12 |
Fouls |
12 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
1 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 78 |
Passing Success |
81.6 |
| 20 |
Tackles |
19 |
| 90 |
Tackles Success |
84.2 |
| 40.2 |
Possession |
59.8 |
| 45.5 |
Territorial Advantage |
54.5 |
|
