Tottenham manager Thomas Frank expressed frustration over two VAR decisions that he believed influenced his side's 2-1 loss to Liverpool on Saturday. The defeat extended Spurs' poor home record, with 11 league losses at home in 2025.
Frank was particularly angered by the first-half red card shown to Xavi Simons after a VAR review upgraded referee John Brooks's original yellow card. Simons was dismissed for a late challenge on Virgil van Dijk. 'I don't think it's a reckless tackle,' Frank told the BBC. 'We had the referee's call and that was a yellow.' He later described the three-match ban as 'too harsh'.
The Tottenham boss also questioned why VAR did not intervene to rule out Liverpool's second goal, scored by Hugo Ekitiké. Frank felt Ekitiké pushed Cristian Romero before scoring. 'Two hands in the back from the striker – as far as I know you are not allowed to do that,' he said. 'A big mistake.'
Romero received a second yellow card after a tangle with Ibrahima Konaté, leaving Spurs with nine men. Frank believed the incident could have been handled more sensibly. Despite the defeat, he praised his team's resilience. 'I'm extremely proud of the players,' he said. 'They showed unbelievable mentality.'
Liverpool manager Arne Slot, whose side moved level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea, expressed concern over striker Alexander Isak, who scored but then went off injured. Slot said his gut feeling was that the injury was not good.
