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Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has weighed in on the decision to allow Eberechi Eze’s first goal to stand in Tottenham’s 4-1 loss to Arsenal.

The Lilywhites were completely dominated by their North London rivals at the Emirates, with Thomas Frank being handed a serious wake-up call.

The idea that his defensive approach made Tottenham a formidable side away from home was blown out of the water over the 90 minutes, with Spurs looking completely toothless against their fierce rivals.

However, there was one controversial call in the game that went against Frank’s side, and the decision has left a former official flabbergasted.

Eberechi Eze’s goal against Tottenham should have been ruled out

The controversy was about Eberechi Eze’s first and Arsenal’s second of the night on 41 minutes.

The England international found space inside the Tottenham box and slammed the ball into the back of the net, but replays showed that two Arsenal players, who were in offside positions, were in Guglielmo Vicario’s eyeline.

VAR did not intervene to rule the goal offside after the on-field officials gave the goal, and Gallagher admitted that he finds it hard to understand the call.

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Gallagher told Sky Sports: “This is what I don’t understand. I think both of those players are in the goalkeeper’s eyeline. I’m told because they peel away from that, they’re not impacting.”

Former Coventry striker Jay Bothroyd added about the decision: “That’s probably the worst decision. They are directly in the keeper’s eyeline. When I saw that, straight away I said that would be offside.

“That is the most obvious one. He’s looking straight down the ball and there are two players in his eyeline. That’s why I don’t understand it.”

The laws regarding players interfering with play need to be simplified

The issue of whether a player is in the goalkeeper’s eyeline is open to interpretation, with different officials seeing specific incidents differently.

The authorities may need to look into simplifying the law for the sake of consistency.

For example, changing the law to say the goal will be ruled out if any player who is in an offside position and ahead of the shot is between the width of the posts when the shot is taken, would make it black and white.

While it will initially lead to a few unnecessary offsides, it will eventually force strikers to avoid being in an offside position within the width of the post when their teammate is about to take a shot.

Thomas Frank is selling Tottenham Hotspur fans false promises in relation to his team’s setup and it has reached a point where everyone can see through him.

Any Tottenham Hotspur supporter who expected their team to get a result at the Emirates Stadium must be quite the optimist. Even before the days of Thomas Frank, Spurs were on a run of poor results at the home ground of their bitter rivals.

However, Sunday’s North London derby felt like a new low and this was due to the nature of Tottenham’s defeat. There was no attacking intent from the very start and according to The xG Philosophy, Spurs created 0.00 xG in the first half. They also failed to land a shot on target and completed just 15 successful passes in Arsenal’s half of the pitch.

Joao Palhinha and Richarlison did provide one moment of brilliance later in the match, but overall it was yet another diabolical display in a London derby.

Tottenham fans expect answers

Like Frank, Ange Postecoglou had a poor record against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea and many of Tottenham’s displays in his second Premier League campaign were as bad as it gets. However, at least the Aussie was transparent and stuck to his attacking principles. Spurs fans might not have always liked what they saw, but they knew exactly what they were getting.

Frank on the other hand continues to say one thing in his press conferences and then proceeds to get his team doing the exact opposite, particularly against the bigger clubs in England.

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Upon his arrival in North London, Frank expressed his desire for Tottenham to be aggressive and attack. He even made the excellent point that it can be risky not to take risks, as previously displayed by the likes of Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo.

Ironically, Frank has continuously set Spurs up in the most negative way possible, with risks seemingly discouraged. Clearly he wanted his side to defend for 90 minutes against Arsenal and was waiting for a set piece where Tottenham might score a goal.

Frank either needs to put his money where his mouth is, or start being truthful about how he actually wants to play the game. Any suggestion that the Dane is an attacking minded manager is nonsensical drivel and no Spurs supporter at this point is naive enough to believe the bosses’ rhetoric.

Frank is not a dynamic manager

Since Mauricio Pochettino’s departure all those years ago, Tottenham have not had a manager who causes his team to adapt based on the circumstances at hand. Mourinho, Santo and Antonio Conte were all far too negative in their approaches, while Postecoglou was often guilty of being too extreme in the opposite direction.

Frank was thought to be the man who would finally bring balance back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with heaps of praise coming his way after the Manchester City victory. Unfortunately, the only way he now adapts is to decide how far along the negativity scale he wants Spurs to play.

Tottenham used the same stand off tactics against Arsenal which cost them in the latter stages of the UEFA Super Cup. The main difference is what was once a strategy to see out a game has now become the primary function from the first blow of the referee’s whistle until the last.

It seems Frank has not woken up to the fact he is managing a far bigger and more successful club than Brentford. The Tottenham way is to be bold, not timid, yet time and time again they cower in the face of a strong opposition.

If Frank wants to keep setting up this way, that is ultimately his decision and he will not last long in the job if he does. However, he needs to be honest and explain this is how he is choosing to play the game. All this talk of bravery and aggression just feels like a distraction to cover up the fact he is out of his depth at Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur were left red-faced at the Emirates Stadium, and Les Ferdinand has now delivered a scathing assessment after watching Arsenal dismantle Thomas Frank’s side with ease.

Thomas Frank was made to eat his words on Sunday afternoon as Eberechi Eze reminded the Tottenham Hotspur boss exactly who he was.

Ahead of the north London derby, when Frank was questioned about the Arsenal playmaker, he replied by asking, “Who is Eze?”, but it was the midfielder who had the last laugh as he grabbed a hat trick.

Indeed, it was a performance that left a lot to be desired from a Tottenham perspective, with Frank’s side showing no fight or spirit as they fell to a 4-1 defeat in the most important game of their season, according to Frank.

Les Ferdinand slams Tottenham’s approach

Les Ferdinand has now delivered a brutal verdict on Tottenham’s performance, making it clear that he felt Spurs set themselves up far too passively against their rivals.

In his assessment, Ferdinand highlighted how Tottenham had shown a more front-footed approach in Europe in the Super Cup against PSG, yet failed to produce anything similar at the Emirates Stadium, before expanding on the tactical issues he felt Frank got wrong.

Speaking on the game, he told Sky Sports Main Event (23/11/25): “When they came here today with a five at the back, you think to yourself, ‘If you can perform like you performed against PSG’, have a go.

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“It wasn’t a negative five at the back [against PSG], it was a front-footed; go and have a go, and press people.

“They came here, sat back, and allowed Arsenal to come wave after wave. Arsenal didn’t even get out of third gear. Let us not say this was a five-star performance. The scoreline is five-star. They didn’t have to [put in a five-star showing].

“There was no fight, there was no bite. This is north London. You expect a little bit of spark; a little bit of something. Arsenal had three players that had never played in a north London derby before, Tottenham probably had one.

“There was nothing. Nothing that those players did out there felt like a north London derby to me.”

Spurs creativity issues deepen after heavy derby defeat

Tottenham were not just poor at the back in this league fixture, as Frank’s side also struggled going forward.

Spurs’ performance against Arsenal was their worst creative showing in over ten years, as it took a strike from the halfway line for the Lilywhites to get on the scoresheet.

In the derby game, Tottenham managed just three shots, an xG of 0.07, four touches in the opposition box, 120 touches in the opposition half and 52 passes in the final third, which summed up a flat all-round display by Frank’s men, who disappointed in equal measure in both defence and attack.

Joao Palhinha has reacted strongly to Jamie Carragher after the former Liverpool man picked apart the Tottenham midfielder’s game.

Palhinha has made the most tackles across the Premier League this season, with the midfielder’s arrival being one of the key reasons for Tottenham’s defensive improvements.

The former Fulham man has also contributed in the final third, with four goals and two assists to his name so far this term.

However, his inability to progress the ball from midfield has been under the scanner, including by Carragher, who broke down the midfielder’s game on a Sky Sports MNF segment.

Carragher suggested that Palhinha’s shortcomings in possession are why no other big club wanted him this summer, and those words have not gone down well with the 30-year-old.

Joao Palhinha responds to Jamie Carragher

Palhinha has now confessed that the clip of Carragher’s criticism was sent to him, and labelled the pundit’s words as ’embarrassing’.

The on-loan Bayern Munich man insisted that he has been happy with his performances this term and suggested that the ex-Liverpool man should watch more of him.

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Palhinha told The Guardian: “I saw it [the Carragher analysis] because some people sent it to me,” Palhinha says. “But what can I say? If he speaks bad things about [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he can speak about everyone. Some people need to speak about another to be on the screens on the TV. My life is not about that, definitely.

“It makes it a bit embarrassing seeing the ex-players speaking that way, and they sometimes look like superstars on their past. He should have seen probably more games of mine at Tottenham. I am doing a top season and the things that he says about me go to the back of my mind.

“I don’t care too much because we have a lot of people speaking about us and trying to drop us [down]. The way is how we react. The way I reacted after what he said was to score against Copenhagen [in the Champions League win three days later].”

Carragher praised Palhinha last month

Interestingly, just weeks before his critical comments about the midfielder, the Sky pundit was glowing in his praise for the 30-year-old.

In his Telegraph column last month, Carragher labelled Palhinha Tottenham’s best signing of the summer window and suggested that the Portuguese star was just the kind of player Spurs needed.

While it is fair game for the pundit to point out the Tottenham star’s weaknesses, perhaps he should have also mentioned the strengths that Palhinha possesses in the Sky Sports segment.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their fourth successive North London derby defeat after a bruising 4-1 loss at the Emirates on Sunday.

There was plenty of hope that Thomas Frank would finally put an end to Spurs’ derby misery, especially after he beat Arsenal in a pre-season friendly. Instead, this turned into one of Spurs’ weakest creative displays in a decade.

Frank did receive an injury boost after the international break, with Mohammed Kudus returning to the starting XI. Pape Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray all made the bench, though the latter two went unused. Mikel Arteta had similar luck, welcoming back Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli, but both began among the substitutes.

First half: Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham

There was some early confusion about whether Spurs were lining up in a back three or a back five, but once the match kicked off, it didn’t matter. Arsenal’s press pinned Tottenham so deep that Frank’s side were effectively forced into a back five from the opening minutes.

Arsenal almost struck inside 3 minutes when Eberechi Eze lifted a clever ball over Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to find Declan Rice, whose volley was parried away by Guglielmo Vicario before Kevin Danso nearly turned the rebound into his own net.

Danso’s tough start continued shortly after when a failed clearance fell for Mikel Merino, who dragged a deflected effort just wide. Bukayo Saka then had Spurs worrying from two free-kicks – the first dipping just over, the second tipped over brilliantly by Vicario.

But with ten minutes to the interval, all of Spurs’ attempts to slow the game down went straight out the window. Merino lobbed a neat pass into the box for Leandro Trossard, who brought it down, spun onto his left and fired thanks to a touch off van de Ven that wrong-footed Vicario to make it 1-0.

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Before Spurs could even gain their footing in the game, Arsenal doubled their lead. Rice slipped the ball to Eze inside the box, and Arsenal’s number 10 drilled a low shot through bodies and past Vicario. A quick VAR check confirmed the goal, and Spurs went into the break with serious problems.

Second half: Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham

Frank ditched the back five at half-time, bringing on Xavi Simons for Danso to get more control in midfield. However, any chance of a reaction disappeared within a minute of the restart.

Jurrien Timber’s first pass into the box ricocheted back to him, and the second slipped perfectly to Eze, who needed one touch to set himself before finishing it into the far corner.

Spurs finally found something positive when Martin Zubimendi lost the ball to Joao Palhinha, who found Richarlison. The Brazilian spotted David Raya well off his line and lobbed him from around 40 yards with a brilliant strike to make it 3-1, and Spurs had a glimmer of life.

That glimmer didn’t last as Arsenal kept creating chances, and Saka forced Vicario into a sharp save from a curling effort destined for the bottom corner.

With 15 minutes to go, Arsenal killed the game as Rice’s header from halfway found Trossard down the left, who cut it back for Eze on the edge. His first touch set it up, and the finish into the bottom corner sealed his North London derby hat trick.

He nearly had a fourth as well, picked out free by Saka, but this time Vicario denied him with a strong one-handed stop.

After a few embarrassing moments of Arsenal simply playing around Spurs, the final whistle was a relief for everyone.

FT: ARSENAL 4-1 TOTTENHAM

SpursWeb man of the match: Joao Palhinha

What’s next for Spurs?

Plenty of Spurs fans expected Eze to show up after Frank’s “Who’s Eze?” comment in his pre-match press conference, and the manager has been getting plenty of trolling for that.

However, even that wasn’t the most worrying thing he said. After the match, Frank reminded everyone that Spurs finished 17th last season; a comment that won’t sit well with supporters who couldn’t care less about the league position after finally ending a 17-year trophy drought and qualifying for the Champions League.

There wasn’t a hint of creativity from Spurs today, and that could have been forgiven if there was at least some defensive stability, especially with five defenders, but even that fell apart. Patience is wearing thin now, with just 3 wins in the last 11 matches.

That patience will be tested even further on Wednesday when the Europa League champions face the Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain.

Tottenham Hotspur are set for another difficult week as Thomas Frank prepares for Fulham without a key senior figure.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their first defeat on the road this season at the Emirates Stadium following Arsenal’s impressive display, and it was a performance that left more questions than answers for Thomas Frank.

Four goals were put past Guglielmo Vicario on Sunday evening, which is the most he has conceded away from home this season after having let in just three across five matches on the road.

Frank’s side were all over the place against their bitter rivals, as not even his back five was enough to keep Mikel Arteta’s men quiet.

Cristian Romero suspended for Tottenham vs Fulham

Thomas Frank will be hoping his side can move on quickly from this defeat as they look to pick themselves up in their next games, but the Dane is now set to be without a key player in his next league outing.

Cristian Romero picked up a booking in the clash against Arsenal, taking his tally to five for the season, and as such, he is set to miss the next league fixture against Fulham.

Players who pick up five bookings in their club’s first 19 in the Premier League are subject to a single-game ban, and Romero has reached that threshold after just 12 gameweeks.

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The Argentine, who captained Frank’s side on the night, could do little to prevent the Gunners from running riot as the new boss suffered his heaviest defeat as manager of Tottenham.

Spurs prepare for Champions League test

Before the next league encounter, however, there is a Champions League tie on Wednesday night.

Tottenham will face the champions of Europe, PSG in matchday five of the league phase of the Champions League, as they aim to secure a spot in the automatic qualification places.

This presents yet another stern test for Frank, who is getting no respite as games continue to come thick and fast.

Romero’s suspension, however, does not affect the Champions League, and the Argentine should be available here before he misses out at the weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has sent a message to the travelling supporters following the embarrasing derby day defeat to Arsenal.

Tottenham Hotspur’s struggles away from home in the north London derby continued on Sunday when they faced Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The Gunners once more put Spurs to the sword at the Emirates Stadium, maintaining their unbeaten run in the last ten league matches while also continuing to build on their impressive record after international breaks.

For Tottenham, it was a performance that lacked spirit, fight and passion as they allowed Arsenal to run riot, securing a 4-1 victory, which is the biggest defeat so far under Thomas Frank.

Vicario says sorry to supporters

Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spoke after the match, and his assessment captured the mood around the squad, as he admitted that the performance fell well below the required standard.

The 29-year-old issued an apology to the travelling Tottenham fans and did not shy away from the scale of the disappointment.

He told the official Premier League site: “It is a very bad night for us. First of all we have to apologise to the people who support us every day. They travelled and expected to see us fight but we didn’t fight, as a collective we didn’t fight. That isn’t negotiable to compete in a football match, especially at this level.

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“Now is a tough night and a very bad defeat but we have to stick together because we know he have to address these things.”

“I don’t know why we didn’t fight. I think we waited a little bit to get into the game, we were too passive and didn’t recognise some situations to put pressure on them and fight.”

Spurs concerns grow after latest setback under Thomas Frank

Vicario’s assessment is spot on, but the worry for Tottenham is that this is not a one-off performance.

It has become all too familiar this season, with Tottenham looking spiritless against sides that are decent at playing football.

Against Chelsea, Spurs were just as poor, and the same was true against the likes of Bournemouth, Bodo/Glimt and AS Monaco.

Tottenham Hotspur fans will be wondering ‘what if’ about Heung-min Son as the forward continues to score one specific kind of goal this season.

As expected, Son has made the MLS look too easy since his switch to LAFC, with the former Tottenham captain having managed 12 goals and four assists in 13 outings.

However, it is the nature of the goals which the South Korean is scoring has left Spurs fans surprised.

The 33-year-old has already scored multiple free-kicks this season, including a goal against FC Dallas for which Son won the MLS Goal of the Season award.

Heung-min Son scores another excellent free-kick for LAFC

The forward did the same in the recent international break, converting a free-kick in South Korea’s win over Bolivia.

The Tottenham legend has followed that up with a crucial 95th-minute free-kick goal for LAFC in their MLS Playoff clash against Vancouver.

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The stunning free-kick was Son’s second goal of the game and an equaliser for LAFC, but it was Vancouver who ultimately emerged as the winners on penalties.

Why was Son not on free-kick duty at Tottenham?

Assuming the forward has always had this in his locker, one would imagine that he would have demonstrated his free-kick ability in training.

It is thus bewildering that Son almost never took any free-kicks for Spurs, particularly given that the Lilywhites have been bad in deadball situations since the exit of Christian Eriksen.

Given the ability he is showing, the 33-year-old could have perhaps had another 15-20 goals in his Tottenham career had he been put on free-kick duty.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a 4-1 defeat away from home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, with Thomas Frank’s side a place above the bottom half of the table.

Let’s take a look at the five things we learned:

Thomas Frank got his tactical setup wrong against Arsenal

A 4-1 defeat to any side is always a difficult one to swallow, let alone to your bitter rivals, Arsenal.

It is a win that now puts the Gunners in pole position for the Premier League title, and after today’s performance, if there was any dream of Tottenham entering the title race, it has pretty much died.

The focus for Spurs has to be on themselves, the manager and most importantly, the tactics.

Thomas Frank got it wrong today, as his five at the back setup, which was supposed to help his side sit deep and soak up pressure against Mikel Arteta’s team, failed badly.

Arsenal were always going to come out with serious intent to press and take the game to Tottenham, and Spurs could not deal with that.

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The basics were all wrong, with players often resorting to hoofing the ball long, and so many passes going astray whenever Tottenham attempted to build from the back.

Frank then reverted things in the second forty-five by going with a back four, yet there was still no improvement as it took a halfway strike by Richarlison for Tottenham to get on the scoresheet.

Questions have already been asked about Frank’s tactics, and today’s showing once more inspired little confidence.

Daniel Levy’s stubbornness comes back to haunt as Eberechi Eze shines

Tottenham fans must have been shaking their heads as they watched their side put on that dismal display.

Indeed, there were so many reasons to be disappointed, but one would certainly have been Eberechi Eze bagging a hat-trick against Spurs.

The Arsenal playmaker was so close to joining Tottenham last summer, but Spurs’ inability to pay what Crystal Palace wanted saw the Gunners come in and swoop in.

In classic Tottenham fashion, it was the very same player who ran a sword through them, punishing each of their mistakes, including the 67 million pound mistake that Daniel Levy made when he failed to get the deal done in time.

Spurs players lacked passion in North London derby

We can sit all day and rant about tactics and how Frank did not set his team up well, but these players must shoulder part of the responsibility.

Sunday evening was a toothless display, with the Tottenham players showing little fight or passion as they chased the game.

Second duels were lost, they were outrun, and they could not even stick to the game plan. A few players, however, looked a bit up to it.

Destiny Udogie did his bit against Bukayo Saka, Joao Palhinha was the best player in the second half and left his soul out there as he tried to win tackles, and Guglielmo Vicario pulled off some decent saves, but his distribution remains far from good enough at this level.

In derby games like this, fans simply want to see fight and passion and if you are going to lose, then do so with pride.

The Lewis family must strengthen squad in the next two windows

Of course, Tottenham need to move on quickly from this defeat, and there is a lot to be learned from results like this, even though it can be hard to take.

A big takeaway is simple: quality players are needed if Tottenham are to compete at the top level.

The winter window and the summer window in the coming months are going to be very important for Tottenham if they are to close the gap between themselves and Arsenal.

The Lilywhites have hardly competed against their rivals since the departure of the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, and if they are to do so again, they need world-class players.

It is over to the Lewis family to bring out the chequebook, while Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange work on bringing in the best possible additions.

A new goalkeeper is being rumoured, and one who can help with build-up is very crucial. A wide forward is needed, especially on the left, and a lethal centre forward who can hold up play and run in behind will be crucial as well.

Spurs face PSG in the Champions League next

A 4-1 defeat against Arsenal, who are not custodians of any silverware in the last five seasons, is bad enough, but Tottenham have the champions of Europe up next in the Champions League.

It is hard to see how Spurs can secure a victory in that tie, especially after today’s display.

Of course, one could say the last time these two sides met, Tottenham gave PSG a run for their money, but that was a PSG side coming back from holiday.

It could get uglier in midweek, and the pressure on Frank will only increase from then on.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly eyeing a move for one of Juventus’ best players in the January window, and the Premier League side could have one factor working in their favour.

It has been widely reported that Spurs will prioritise strengthening their attack in January rather than their midfield or defence.

A few sources have claimed that signing a top-class wide-forward is Tottenham’s number one priority in the January transfer window.

However, a new update from Italy has claimed that the Lilywhites could raid Juventus for one of the best defenders in Serie A.

Tottenham want to sign Juventus’ vice-captain

According to Football Italia, the North London club are plotting a January move for Juve defender Gleison Bremer.

Bremer has consolidated his reputation as one of the best central defenders in Italy since his switch from Torino to the Bianconeri in 2022.

It is suggested that Thomas Frank wants more cover at centre-back and has thus set his sights on the Brazilian, who is expected to take Ben Davies’ place in the Spurs first-team squad, with the Welshman purely a fringe player these days.

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The report points out that Bremer is represented by CAA Base, who also represent five players in the Tottenham squad and their assistant coach Matt Wells.

The Premier League side’s relationship with the agency could pave the way for a January deal for the Juve star.

How much would Spurs have to pay for Gleison Bremer?

Football Italia say that even though Bremer is an important player for the Old Lady and the club’s current vice-captain, the Serie A giants would be open to offers for him.

This is because Juve are keen to land Portuguese star Goncalo Ramos in January, and they need to fund the move by selling the former Torino man.

The publication claims that Tottenham would need to pay over €50m (£44m) to land the 28-year-old defender, who still has four years left on his contract at the Allianz Stadium.