Thomas Frank unhappy with referee as nine-man Tottenham lose out to Liverpool
Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero were sent off during a chaotic 2-1 home defeat for Spurs.
Thomas Frank blasted the performance of referee John Brooks after Tottenham’s nine men suffered another home defeat despite a battling display in a 2-1 loss against Liverpool.
The score barely told half the story of a bonkers Premier League encounter where Xavi Simons and later Cristian Romero were sent off for Spurs, who lost for a fifth time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.
An even contest tipped in the balance of Liverpool after 33 minutes when Xavi’s studs-up challenge on Virgil van Dijk’s Achilles earned the Tottenham playmaker a red card, and Alexander Isak broke the deadlock in the 56th minute.
Half-time substitute Isak was immediately forced off through injury, but Hugo Ekitike grabbed his 11th goal for the Reds soon after and avoided a VAR intervention in spite of a slight push on Romero in the build-up.
A routine Liverpool triumph appeared on the cards, only for Spurs substitute Richarlison to pull one back with seven minutes left before Romero let his team down with a late kick-out at Ibrahima Konate as the hosts lost for a fifth time in eight matches under Thomas Frank.
“Proud of the players and the team and how they responded,” Frank said.
“I don’t like this (Xavi challenge) as a red card. I think the game is probably too big to say gone, but for me it’s not reckless and it’s not exceptional force.
“He is chasing Van Dijk. He is trying to put pressure and then he changes direction. Unfortunately his foot is on Achilles. You can say ‘ah, you need to be smarter, don’t do it and all that’ but so are we not allowed to have physical contact anymore?
“The next thing on that is if he gets three games, which I don’t understand, how can he get three games for something which is not reckless? That is absolutely wrong and we probably can’t appeal it.
“Responded excellently to that. Then 1-0 goal, we kept going. I think the second goal is a mistake from the referee.
“I think there are two hands in the back. Clear two hands in the back. I don’t understand how you can do that.
“Everywhere else you have seen that a thousand times out there on the pitch, someone will go up for a header, a goalkick into the centre-back, two hands in the back – boom, foul, but apparently not in the penalty box.
“I think that was the biggest mistake in my opinion and from VAR but apparently that was not enough.”
Opposite number Arne Slot believes Liverpool are slowly getting better, but admitted it felt like they had nine men during a dramatic finale.
“I thought it would mean that it was a little bit easier, but in reality it wasn’t,” Slot said when asked about Romero’s sending off.
“I thought to be honest with nine, we will probably be able then to keep them away from our goal, but it looked as if we were down to nine and they were on 11 because it was attack after attack after attack, but it didn’t lead to a goal.”
Isak was forced off with an ankle injury after his goal and while Slot’s gut feeling was it was “not a good thing”, he was pleased with the move.
Slot added: “A good goal, assisted by Florian Wirtz, and I said last week already players are getting better, the team is getting better.
“Again, it wasn’t perfect, especially not in the last 10 minutes but in the meantime we pick up points and I see the team developing in a way I like to see.”
