Under-pressure Thomas Frank received a much-needed boost as an impressive first-half display saw Tottenham beat 10-man Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
It felt like Frank went into this game needing a win, with supporters having turned on him following the 2-1 home defeat by West Ham on Saturday.
But there was a different atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday night as Spurs attacked with pace and purpose, and first-half goals from Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke saw off Dortmund.
The victory puts Frank’s side in a strong position to qualify automatically for the knockouts as they are fifth with one more fixture remaining.
The fans’ frustration was perhaps evident at kick-off with a number of empty seats in the upper tiers of the ground, but Tottenham’s encouraging start will have allayed fears that a fourth successive loss was on the cards.
The hosts deservedly took the lead when Romero turned in Wilson Odobert’s ball from the right, and they continued to create opportunities as Dortmund struggled with their high press.
It got even better for Tottenham when the visitors had Daniel Svensson sent off after a review by the video assistant referee (VAR) following his high-boot challenge on Odobert, who continued to be involved in the key moments with another assist for Spurs’ second.
He played a neat one-two with Pedro Porro before sending a low ball into the box, which bounced off Solanke’s heel and on to his other foot to deflect into the net.
Tottenham had nowhere near that level of intensity in the second half, though should have added a third when Randal Kolo Muani raced through but fired straight at goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Guglielmo Vicario then tipped over Nico Schlotterbeck’s header in stoppage time to ensure it was not a nervous end to the game for the home fans.
