Thomas Frank received a much-needed boost as an impressive first-half display saw Tottenham beat 10-man Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the Champions League. First-half goals from Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke settled a night that, only a few days earlier, had looked impossibly heavy for the Spurs head coach.
Frank had gone into the game needing a win after supporters turned on him following the 2-1 home defeat by West Ham on Saturday. Instead, his patched-up side attacked with pace and purpose at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, moving to the brink of automatic qualification for the knockout stages with one league-phase fixture remaining.
A bold reshape with the bare bones
With 13 players unavailable and only 11 established outfielders to choose from, Frank changed his system again, lining up with three central defenders to mirror Dortmund. Destiny Udogie, back from injury, slotted in on the left of the trio, with Djed Spence pushed up at left wing-back.