Just when their despairing supporters must have expected it least, belief returned to Teesside. After a victory over West Ham United that was remarkable for its dominance, Middlesbrough will play Everton in the FA Cup quarter-finals. It was some performance.

This has become a strenuous, demanding season for Gareth Southgate and his team and while their position in the Barclays Premier League table remains a source of deep concern, last night brought them delight. Nobody at the Riverside Stadium will wish to be reminded of 1997, the year that Middlesbrough reached the Cup Final and were relegated, but if this sort of commitment can be replicated, despair will be avoided.

This was no fluke. Early goals from Stewart Downing and Tuncay Sanli separated the teams, but in terms of fluency there was a yawning gulf. Just as West Ham were vapid until defeat was beyond doubt, so Middlesbrough offered moments of stellar quality. It should provide them with confidence before pivotal league fixtures against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

“It gives everybody renewed optimism,” Southgate said. “In terms of the season, it keeps people’s dreams alive and football is all about dreams. There’s no priority for us, but that energy and enthusiasm has to be the standard we set now.”

Five unremarkable minutes had elapsed when Radoslav Kovac felled Tuncay as they tussled for possession and while the position was promising for Middlesbrough — 25 yards out and towards the right edge of the penalty area — there had been little evidence in recent weeks that anything tangible would follow.

What succour there was, however, Downing provided. The England winger had mustered his first, tardy goal of the season at Upton Park on Valentine’s Day, a nod towards romance that somehow lingered. His free kick was blissfully struck, a left-foot caress that curled into the top right corner of the net; Downing sprinted towards the dugout to share his jubilation with Southgate.

By the twentieth minute, the advantage had been doubled. A long, piercing through-ball from Gary O’Neil was hooked away by James Tomkins, but the clearance was desperate and the result unhappy. Tuncay, the Turkey forward, who had been dropped for the previous three games, met the ball on the volley on the fringes of the box to fire it in low and with attitude.

It was shades of the autumn for Middlesbrough, a reminder of the glinting football that had been nurtured assiduously by Southgate. It was not a scenario that West Ham could have envisaged, although their response let down 3,000 of their supporters, whose journey to the North East had been funded by the club.

The jeers with which they greeted half-time were eloquent. Aside from a grass-trimming effort from Kovac, which Brad Jones had grasped with comfort, they had offered nothing. Gianfranco Zola, the manager, had made four changes from the side that had lost away to Bolton Wanderers last weekend, but that was not sufficient to explain the listlessness.

“I am very sorry and disappointed for our supporters, who were fantastic again and came up here in great numbers,” the Italian said. “I know how special this cup is and what it is like to win this competition and that is something I wanted my players to experience. It’s not a very good time for us — we haven’t won for three games — but it won’t last for long. We’re determined to get back to winning ways.”

- Cardiff City stretched their unbeaten run to 13 games last night but had to settle for a goalless draw at home to QPR. Michael Chopra had the home side’s best chance but was denied by Radek Cerny, the QPR goalkeeper. Cardiff moved back up to fourth place in the Coca-Cola Championship and are nine points off an automatic promotion spot, but have three games in hand on Wolverhampton Wanderers, the leaders.

Middlesbrough (4-4-2): B Jones - J Hoyte, D Wheater, R Huth, E Pogatetz - G O'Neil, M Bates, J Arca (sub: J Walker, 88min), S Downing - J Aliadière (sub: M Emnes, 67), Tuncay Sanli (sub: A Johnson, 82). Substitutes not used: R Turnbull, A Taylor, Afonso Alves, A McMahon. Booked: O'Neil.

West Ham United (4-3-1-2): R Green - L Neill, M Upson, J Tomkins, H Ilunga - V Behrami, R Kovac (sub: D Tristán, 69), S Parker - M Noble (sub: J Collison, 57) - C Cole, F Sears (sub: D Di Michele, 57). Substitutes not used: J Lastuvka, W López, Savio, J Spector. Booked: Behrami.

Referee: S Bennett.