6 hours ago
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Thomas Frank defended his decision to substitute Xavi Simons in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United after his replacement Mathys Tel fired Tottenham back into the game.
Spurs fans booed the switch in the 79th minute but were cheering shortly afterwards when Tel turned Matthijs de Ligt to score with a shot that took a deflection off the United defender.
Richarlison looked to have snatched victory for the home side with a goal in injury-time, but De Ligt redeemed himself with a late header.
Asked about the boos, Frank said: ‘Every single time I take a decision, the aim is to get the team back in the game. Mathys Tel did well. He was positive and we needed a bit of freshness.’
Pressed on why he sent on Tel, the Spurs boss replied curtly: ‘To score a goal.’
Frank added: ‘Emotions inside me are high. I take the positive out of this game. To play against Man United and kept them down to five shots is not easy.
Thomas Frank (right) defending bringing off Xavi Simons in the draw with Man United
Mathys Tel came on and made a crucial contribution to get Spurs back in the game
'I was extremely happy with second half and the way we stayed in the game.’
Tel was happy with his contribution after scoring for the second time this season. ‘It's a move I'm working on in training,’ he said.
‘It's about practice, practice, practice. I saw the ball coming to me and it's just about turning my body to strike. I want to help the team, the coach, the club. I want to do my job and that's what I try to do every day.’
De Ligt, meanwhile, was annoyed with himself for not keeping out Tel’s effort, but relieved that he was able to salvage a point for his team.
‘Their first goal was a little bit lucky,’ said the Dutchman. ‘I blocked the ball and it goes in. It’s a difficult situation and I’m a little bit upset about that. I’m proud of the team how we fought back and in the end get a point at a difficult stadium.
‘We were lucky to get a point but we deserved more the way we played. Maybe in the second half we were a little tired, we didn’t get the chance to get out of our half.
‘Last season we lost to Forest 1-0. Last season we lost to Tottenham 1-0. Today you can see that we still have the fire in our belly to get a point, even with 10 men. In that way I’m really proud of the team.
‘It is a long season and it’s important to draw these games rather than lose them. You saw in this game that we are dangerous for opponents, we have a lot of speed up front, we are really stable and know our strengths and utilise them.
'We had opportunities to get behind them in this game and they are vulnerable to this. We deserved more.’
