As Antoine Semenyo received a pass on the edge of the box in second-half stoppage time, opening an angle to shoot, the rest felt inevitable. The Ghana international, who looks set to move to Manchester City after rebuffing Tottenham Hotspur’s interest, set the ball out of his feet and fired a wicked right-footed shot into Guglielmo Vicario’s bottom left-hand corner.
Many of the travelling Tottenham supporters, who were pushing the Spurs players to find a winner of their own moments earlier, headed towards the exit. The rest stayed long after the final whistle. Some applauded the team and Thomas Frank after the 3-2 defeat, while a few seemed to exchange stern words with players, including Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro. It was an ugly end to a game that might have finished differently.
“I haven’t seen that situation, that’s one thing,” Frank said in his post-match press conference. “I think it’s fair to say everyone in Tottenham, players, staff, fans, everyone, it’s a tough one to take today.
“I think hopefully everyone can see how hard we worked to get everything in the right direction. And I think overall the performance was good, especially in the second half, in a game where we deserved to get more. That is extremely painful to be part of, so of course people are frustrated, I’m frustrated, so that’s natural.”
The breakdown between the fans and the coach is nothing new. An image of Frank holding a disposable cup with Arsenal branding ahead of the match only added fuel to the fire. When questioned about the incident after the game, Frank argued it would be “extremely stupid” to intentionally and publicly drink out of an Arsenal cup as a Spurs coach who is “not winning every single football match”, but it was a mishap which has widened the divide for some fans.
On reflection, the festive period offered an opportunity to re-energise the Frank era. It started perfectly with a win at Crystal Palace, where the players demonstrated some of the steel and nouse shown on the way to the Europa League final win last season under Ange Postecoglou. Brentford was a forgettable draw, but one, against a team in form, that could have been chalked up as a hard-fought point were it followed by better performances and results in the coming matches. But with a point against a Sunderland team affected by the Africa Cup of Nations and a defeat by Bournemouth, who were winless in 12 before a timely visit from Doctor Tottenham, Frank’s tenure has never felt so lifeless.
And yet, in Frank’s view, it could have been so different.
“It’s very tough to sit here right now and we haven’t got anything out of overall a good performance,” Frank said. “We started well, got up 1-0, conceding two goals on second-phase set pieces. Especially the second one, we needed to do much better. But I really liked the character in the team and from the players, they gave everything.”
Mathys Tel, starting in his preferred left-wing position for the second game in a row after impressing against Sunderland, responded to Frank’s faith with a brilliant goal inside five minutes. Naturally, he tired in the second period and his influence waned, but it was Tel’s most complete and best performance in a Tottenham shirt. His opener ended a 592-minute wait for a goal from open play, setting Spurs ahead again. But, in similar circumstances to Sunday, Frank’s side failed to control the game from a winning position.
After a spell of pressure, Bournemouth equalised through Evanilson, who headed home a cross from the right from Marcus Tavernier in the 22nd minute. Fourteen minutes later, Spurs conceded in almost identical circumstances, but it was Eli Junior Kroupi with the crucial touch.
Joao Palhinha’s 78th-minute equaliser briefly gave them hope of a positive result, only for Semenyo to score a 95th-minute winner.
Antoine Semenyo scores Bournemouth’s late winner (Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
The result leaves Spurs 14th in the Premier League table, six points off Brentford, Frank’s old club. Incidentally, the New Year’s Day draw is the only blot on an otherwise perfect five-game run for the west Londoners, who have picked up 12 points from 15. In different circumstances, overturning a six-point deficit with 17 games to play might feel achievable, but in Spurs’ current state, where defeats come far too easily, a further slip down the table could be as likely. Back-to-back league matches against West Ham United and Burnley this month appear to be the final chance to push towards achieving their dwindling European ambitions, before a daunting fixture list in February and March.
So, with their Premier League season collapsing into insignificance, Tottenham’s route to revival may be through the cups. Champions League success is a dream, but the FA Cup third-round tie against Aston Villa on Saturday offers a welcome change of scenery and a chance to restore pride.
Frank’s record in that competition is underwhelming, but after a hopeless festive period, success at the weekend appears to be the only immediate hope of bridging some of the gap between him and a furious fanbase.