Tottenham were booed as the pressure continues to mount on Thomas Franco following their 2-1 FA Cup third round defeat by Aston Villa.
Three days after the atmosphere between the away fans and the Tottenham players deteriorated following Bournemouth’s last-minute winner, the situation turned toxic again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Frank and his men were booed off the pitch at half-time after Emmi Buendia’s fierce strike put Villa ahead and Morgan Rodgers doubled the lead to capitalize on another lackluster, dull and toothless display from Spurs.
Amid clear discontent and growing signs of a disconnect with Spurs fans, Frank was serenaded with chants of “you’re fired in the morning” and “Frank is an Arsenal fan” from the traveling faithful, a reference to the Arsenal trophy Frank held in the run-up to the midweek defeat.
However, despite the home crowd falling silent and apathy setting in, Spurs hit back after the break with a well-taken goal from Wilson Odobert to swing the score in their favour.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Wilson Odobert celebrates his first goal for the team
The boos quickly moved on to encouragement as a reinvigorated Spurs team looked for an equaliser.
Odobert, Mathis Tell and Xavi Simmons all came close, calling Marc Bizot into action to ensure Villa’s slender lead remained intact, but a poor early performance ultimately left them with too much to do against a resilient Villa.
Spurs are now out of the cup as a result of their 10th defeat of the season under Frank – and the frustration of that exit would boil over at full-time, with the whistles still on.
Joao Pagina and Mickey van de Ven, the same duo who linked with the away fans at Bournemouth, were at the center of another row with Rodgers after the full-time whistle. Both sets of players were separated as Frank watched in disbelief.
While attention for Villa could turn to Monday night’s fourth-round draw, Frank will need to pick up the pieces from another defeat to prepare his side for the London derby against West Ham on January 17, which can probably be classed as a must-win for the Spurs manager.