Thomas Frank criticised his side's lack of a cutting edge after Tottenham were held to a 1-1 draw by Sunderland, with Brian Brobbey scoring an 80th-minute equaliser. The result was met with boos from the home fans at full-time, heaping further pressure on the Spurs manager.
Spurs had taken the lead through Ben Davies in the first half, his first club goal in over two years, but failed to extend their advantage. Frank admitted his team should have been out of sight, saying: "The big headline is: we didn't score the 2-0 goal." The absence of the suspended Xavi Simons and an injury to Mohammed Kudus, who went off before the 20th minute, left Spurs short of attacking options.
Frank defended the sale of Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace for £35m, which has weakened his forward line. "Sometimes the decisions make more sense further down the line," he said. "Now there was an opportunity to sell a player, which the club hasn't been that good at in the past."
Sunderland, missing six players at the Africa Cup of Nations, grew into the game after the break. Enzo Le Fée was influential, hitting the post before setting up Brobbey's equaliser. Manager Régis Le Bris admitted his side were fortunate: "They were not clinical, which was a good thing for us."
Spurs remain eighth on 30 points, while Le Bris reiterated that survival is the primary target. The draw leaves Frank under increasing scrutiny as Tottenham's inconsistent form continues.
