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West Ham defender Herita Ilunga equalised late on to force an FA Cup fifth round replay with Middlesbrough after an entertaining 1-1 draw at Upton Park.

Ilunga took advantage of some slack Boro defending to head home a free-kick with just eight minutes remaining, cancelling out Stewart Downing's 22nd minute opener.

Incredibly, prior to this game Downing had failed to find the back of the net this season, but he made no mistake when finishing off an excellent passing move with a back post header from Gary O'Neil's teasing cross.

Downing's effort looked to have secured Boro's place in the quarter-finals as the Hammers struggled to convert their increased second half possession into a goal.

But a lapse of concentration as full-time approached cost the visitors dearly, Boro's back line failing to deal with a free-kick whipped into the box by Savio Nsereko and allowing Ilunga to nod home from close range.

Gareth Southgate had made three changes to his Boro side, with Marlon King cup-tied and Chris Riggott and Matthew Bates dropped to the bench.

Justin Hoyte, O'Neil and Julio Arca came into the side but despite the changes, Boro started far the brighter of the two sides, with Downing in particular causing problems in his role as a supporting striker.

The West Ham back line did not seem to know how to deal with the England international's positioning and early on he was allowed to enjoy a degree of freedom tucked in behind frontman Afonso Alves. The threat he posed culminated in a low drive which went just wide on 11 minutes.

But Boro's good start did not last for long as the home side came right back into the game soon after and were unlucky not to take the lead after a pair of near misses packed into the space of just a few minutes.

Boro keeper Brad Jones was called into action twice in quick succession to first keep out a Mark Noble strike and then a James Collins drive from the edge of the penalty area before Downing swooped just minutes later to open the scoring against the run of play.

The goal put the stoppers on West Ham's brief dominance of the game, making for an open and entertaining remainder to the opening period.

Chances fell at both ends - David Di Michele went close with a speculative volley and Noble blazed over from close range for West Ham while Robert Huth tested Robert Green with a header at the other end - but perhaps the best chance of the half fell to substitute Diego Tristan just before the half-time whistle.

Tristan was on the pitch for Carlton Cole, the England international having been forced off through injury on 34 minutes, but when he was teed up by Di Michele on a quick West Ham break, the Spaniard horribly sliced his effort into the stands.

The miss rather summed up West Ham's afternoon, and the hosts became increasingly more frustrated after the break by a combination of poor forward play and some resolute Boro defending.

Cole's presence on the pitch, and his partnership with Di Michele, was sorely missed and without him, the hosts lacked incision up front. That Zola felt it necessary to end the game with four strikers on the pitch - Freddie Sears and Savio having joined Di Michele and Tristan - spoke volumes.

But even with that quartet in action and despite their greater possession as the game wore on, West Ham struggled to find the back of the net.

Chances did fall to the hosts - most notably to Di Michele who mirrored Tristan's first half miss with a horribly skied effort on 73 minutes - but it was left up to a full-back to ensure their Cup hopes were kept alive.

Mike Hytner / Eurosport