Tottenham were booed off as pressure continues to build on Thomas Frank following a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup.
Three days after the atmosphere between the travelling away fans and Tottenham players soured following a last-minute winner for Bournemouth, the situation turned toxic again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Frank and his side were booed off the pitch at half-time after Emi Buendia’s fierce strike fired Villa ahead and Morgan Rogers doubled the lead to take advantage of another lacklustre, dull and toothless showing from Spurs.
Amidst the clear discontent and growing signs of disconnection from Spurs supporters, Frank was serenaded by chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” and “Frank is an Arsenal fan” from the travelling faithful, referencing the Arsenal cup Frank had held in the build-up to the midweek loss.
However, despite the home crowd falling silent and apathy creeping in, Spurs responded after the break with a well-taken goal from Wilson Odobert, which swung momentum in their favour as a result.
Tottenham Hotspu midfielder Wilson Odobert celebrates scoring the team’s first goal
Boos quickly shifted to encouragement as a reinvigorated Spurs side pushed for an equaliser.
Odobert, Mathys Tel and Xavi Simons all came close, calling Marco Bizot into action to ensure Villa’s slender lead remained intact, but a dismal performance to start the game ultimately left them with too much to do against a resilient Villa side.
Spurs now crash out of the cup as a result of the 10th defeat of the season under Frank – and frustration following that exit would boil over at full-time, with boos still ringing.
Joao Palhinha and Micky van de Ven, the same duo involved with the travelling away fans at Bournemouth, were at the heart of another scuffle as the former reacted to Ollie Watkins’ celebration after the final whistle.
Palhinha shoved the Villa forward as he approached the Villa supporters, before Rogers and Van de Ven stepped in to diffuse the situation. The remaining players from both sides quickly followed, all while Frank watched on in disbelief from a safe distance.
Speaking after the game, Frank criticised Watkins for provoking Palhinha with his celebrations. “Losing a tight game, season not going perfect and Ollie is very provoking,” he said in his post-match press conference.
“He can easily just walk around. Everyone who has been in a competitive nature, that can trigger things.”
Emery was also questioned on the incident involving his players after the game. “It’s the referee’s work,” Emery said.
“We were only a little angry because Kamara was getting injured for one action with Palhinha.
“I think the referee today did a fantastic job. Some moments that happened with some players, I think we can understand in the circumstances that happened on the pitch.”
Boubacar Kamara went off injured during Aston Villa’s 2-1 win against Tottenham
Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara limped off after six minutes after being caught on the knee by a challenge from Palhinha and is set to be assessed on Sunday to determine the severity of the setback.
Attention for Villa can now turn to the fourth-round draw on Monday evening, but Frank will need to pick up the pieces from another defeat to prepare his side for the London derby against West Ham on January 17, which can likely be classed as a must-win fixture for the Spurs boss.
Chaos at full-time! Palhinha involved in post-match drama again
Spurs and Aston Villa players had to be separated after the full-time whistle of their FA Cup third-round tie
Spurs’ frustrations seemed to centre around Ollie Watkins (right) celebrating in front of the Villa fans at full-time
A scuffle between Morgan Rogers and Palhinha then ensued
Rogers and Palhinha then had to be separated with Micky van de Ven’s assistance
Frank ‘disappointed’ and responds to boos
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank:
“It is disappointing. We all hurt and there is nothing we want more than to get through into the next round.
“We play at home and had a good opportunity but unfortunately, we could not get through. We went full strength.
“We all know there is only one way to have everyone happy, which is performing consistently and winning games.
“We could see how they feed off each other, the players and fans. Unfortunately, we could not get the fantastic comeback which sometimes can kickstart momentum.
“We need to perform and then they can feed off the energy but we need them in tough times. They are there and are backing us.”
Thomas Frank watches on as his Tottenham side lost 2-1 to Aston Villa
Emery: We deserved to beat Spurs
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery:
“Of course, 90 minutes we played our structure and we expected a difficult match.
“It happened more or less as we planned. Stopping them, dominating with the ball and keeping possession, scoring two goals.
“We expected after the first half that they need to push more, show character. We needed to be ready to be resilient. We conceded one goal and some chance; we needed Marco Bizot to save.
“We recover again like the first half. After 90 minutes, with our momentum and their momentum, I think we deserve to get this win.”
What now for Spurs? Your views…
Stig: Thomas Frank needs to go ASAP. What a disasterclass this has been. Sacking Ange Postecoglou is the worst decision in this club’s history.
Thomas: I think the West Ham game is absolutely crucial. If we don’t win that then he has to be sacked.
Greg: We would be silly to change manager after half a season of him being in charge, but saying that, we have been beyond poor. I would say give him a couple transfer windows and see where we are at this time next year. We should be challenging at least for the top four.
Bally: Six managers, same problems. It’s not the manager’s fault. The owners have turned their back on every manager and the buck stops with them. They never back any manager in any transfer window. We’ve sold our best players and bring in dross and kids.
Daniel: Pick up the phone and get Harry Redknapp back in. Look at what Martin O’Neill has done at Celtic. Harry will get these players playing football again, and you will see a better second half of season than this rubbish.
