Tottenham’s alarming home troubles deepened with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, as Thomas Frank lamented a match decided by “moments of quality” and urged his side to find a way to turn chances into points.
The result leaves Spurs with just three wins in their last 18 Premier League fixtures at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a miserable record that continues to undermine their ambitions.
Despite a lively start and spells of control, Frank’s side were once again punished by clinical finishing from their opponents.
“It was exactly the game I expected it to be, against two good teams, very tight,” Frank revealed after the game.
Thomas Frank admitted Tottenham didn't take the chances presented to them
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He continued: “There weren’t too many chances. I think overall it could’ve gone either way. I think 1-1 would’ve been a fair result.
"Villa scored two goals from outside the box in moments where you wouldn’t expect them to score. Fair play for their moments of quality. We also easily could’ve won."
Frank’s plans were disrupted before kick-off when Cristian Romero was forced to withdraw from the starting line-up after aggravating an abductor issue.
“Minor abductor injury. He felt a little bit the past few days, we expected him to be fine but he wasn’t. I don’t think it is too big," he told Sky Sports.
Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven echoed his manager’s frustration, admitting the late reshuffle was a blow but insisting the squad still should have produced more.
“A tough game, a tight game. We know they’re a really tough team to play against,” he stated.
“We knew [Romero] was a doubt during the week already. But of course it’s always bad when he pulls out in the warm-up. But I think Kevin [Danso] came in and did really well.
Tottenham have only won three of their last 18 games at home
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“I don’t think we did enough. If we’d done enough we wouldn’t have lost this game. I don’t think we gave too much away, they scored two goals from outside the box. But I think we can also create more for ourselves. We always give 100% to the fans and the club and everyone.”
Frank was similarly blunt when asked how Tottenham could fix their worrying home form.
“I think we just win,” he replied with a wry smile.
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While Tottenham were left to reflect on another missed opportunity, Unai Emery’s Aston Villa produced a composed, disciplined display to claim a vital three points that keeps them well in the mix near the top of the table.
“Firstly our supporters were here and they were helping and of course we were playing for them,” Emery told BBC Sport.
Unai Emery praised his side or fighting their way back into the match against Tottenham
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“The way the players responded, even when we were losing 1-0. This is the way we are trying to get better and build the team with this structure.”
Villa now turn their focus to Europe and a meeting with Manchester City next weekend. Tottenham, meanwhile, face mounting pressure to rediscover a winning formula at home — before their title ambitions slip further away.