Tottenham Hotspur brawl with Aston Villa as ‘pain deepens’ after FA Cup defeat

‘Frank will get a lot of flak for this’ - Tottenham Hotspur brawl with Aston Villa as ‘pain deepens’ after FA Cup defeat

TNT Sports

Tottenham Hotspur were defeated 2-1 at home by Aston Villa on Saturday evening in the Emirates FA Cup third round, and while that loss put more pressure on boss Thomas Frank, there were hints of deeper problems when supporters booed the performance following the final whistle, which coincided with a brawl between Villa and Tottenham players near the home side's goal.

Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat to Aston Villa compounded a difficult time for the club, while a brawl broke out after the final whistle.

The pressure piled onto manager Thomas Frank with another home defeat, meaning they had just three wins out of their last 14 matches in all competitions, and left them with just the UEFA Champions League as the only tournament remaining where they have a faintly credible chance of success.

Captain Cristian Romero hit out at the club’s hierarchy in a now-deleted social media post, and Frank confirmed that the player would remain as the team’s skipper, though he was not in the squad for the cup tie in north London on Saturday.

Tottenham’s fans booed the players at the end of the defeat, which meant that the club were no longer in either domestic cup competition, and with Frank under pressure from the supporters, the loss only made the situation worse for the Dane.

An injury in the first half to striker Richarlison will not have helped matters, either, after the club sold forward Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace earlier in the transfer window.

There were further signs of serious disquiet when Tottenham's fans appeared to walk out in the first half, following Morgan Rogers' goal, which put Unai Emery's side 2-0 up.

Emi Buendia had scored the first goal of the game, with Wilson Odobert pulling one back in the second half for Tottenham, though they could not find a way through for an equaliser.

The atmosphere then boiled over after the game had ended, when players from both sides confronted each other close to the home side’s goalmouth.

Micky van de Ven, Joao Palhnha, Kevin Danso and Archie Gray of Tottenham, and Aston Villa’s Lamare Bogarde, Rogers and Ollie Watkins appeared to engage in a heated argument, accompanied by some jostling with one another.

Wrapping up the result on commentary for TNT Sports, Sam Matterface reflected on the tension at the club.

"Tottenham's pain deepens," he announced. "Out of both domestic cup competitions before the end of January. Home wins as scarce as unity between the club and supporters."

The commentator then noticed the argument that was spilling over into physical confrontation, with a majority of players joining the ruckus, along with stewards and members of club staff.

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He continued: "There's a brawl breaking out in the far corner. More indiscipline involving Tottenham Hotspur players, right at the end of this game. Thomas Frank will get a lot of flak for this.

"Tottenham will get a lot of flak for this too, but the problems might just run a little deeper than just the man in the dugout."

Tottenham are next in action against West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday, January 17.

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