The Thomas Frank era at Tottenham began on a grey afternoon in Berkshire as Spurs defeated Reading 2-0 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. It was two youngsters who got the decisive goals - Will Lankshear and Luka Vuskovic - as Frank’s tenure got off to the best possible start.
Mohammed Kudus made his debut as a half-time susbtitute, and he was bright off the right flank as he linked up well with deputy right-back Djed Spence. Kudus, the £55million arrival from West Ham, showed great skill tight to the touchline and on the counter-attack, and he got an assist for his efforts, laying on Vuskovic’s neat finish into the far corner for the second goal.
Both Son Heung-Min and Cristian Romero played, with both players’ futures uncertain, although the pair skippered the side in either half. Son was quiet and cut a frustrated figure at times, while Romero defended solidly - albeit with little to do - and he was a threat at the opposite end from set plays.
Reading vs Tottenham latest news
- Vuskovic doubles advantage
- Lankshear nets first goal of Frank era
- How to watch:SPURSPLAY
- Tottenham team news
- Reading team news
Winning start for Frank as Kudus stars on debut
17:09 , Oli GentIt was a winning start for Thomas Frank in his first game as Spurs boss, while Mohammed Kudus impressed on his debut off the bench.
Read Oli Gent’s match report here.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:51 , Oli GentFT: A comfortable win for Tottenham as two goals in four minutes hand Thomas Frank victory in his first game in charge. Mohammed Kudus and Pedro Porro the standout performers for Tottenham.
Full time
16:50 , Oli GentThere we have it. Thomas Frank’s era starts with a win. Comfortable throughout, and some good auditions from the young stars. 2-0 it finishes.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:49 , Oli Gent90 mins: Good save! Vicario gets down well to keep out Ahmed’s drive from range.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:47 , Oli Gent88 mins: That would have been a lovely move had it come off. Starting from the back, Vuskovic spins it out to Ben Davies at left-back, before he knocks it down the line to Son, who moves infield. He links up with Donley, getting it back after the midfielder’s neat backflick, and he tries to spin Lankshear in behind, but it’s cut out.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:44 , Oli Gent86 mins A punt out towards the right finds its way into Spence, who is through on goal. He tries to force it home from the angle, but Stevens denies him.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:43 , Oli Gent84 mins: You can already tell Mohammed Kudus is going to have a lot of fun at Tottenham this season. The Ghanaian is electric on the counter.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:40 , Oli Gent81 mins: Vicario is furious as Reading catch Spurs out with a short corner, and the Italian is forced to tip over Jacob’s goalbound effort.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:37 , Oli Gent78 mins: Lovely play from Spurs as they break down the right with Spence and Kudus linking up nicely. The Ghanaian skips down the touchline and looks to pull it back for Donley arriving late in the D, but the youngster can’t get his shot on target.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:35 , Oli Gent76 mins: Bergvall clumsily loses possession in his own area as Borgnis seizes upon the ball, and the Swede bundles him to the ground, but no foul, says the referee, as Shay Spencer looks to take over and blazes the ball high and wide.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:34 , Oli Gent74 mins: Bissouma battles for a throw as Reading make a change in goal. Pereira comes off, replaced by Jack Stevens.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:31 , Oli Gent70 mins: Reading’s subs are giving them a fresh impetus and energy as they look to give Spurs something to think about, but that could be naive. There are more open spaces at the back, and the Premier League side can move from defence to attack very quickly. Corner, Spurs, as Kudus wins the set piece.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:27 , Oli Gent67 mins: Changes afoot for Reading, with Noel Hunt making a whole host of substitutions.
Okine-Peters, Elliott, Borgnis, Jacobs, Spencer, Osho, Ryan, and Ahmed are on for Ehibhatiomhan, Sackey, Abrefa, Garcia, Wing, Savage, O’Mahoney, and Dorsett.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:25 , Oli Gent65 mins: It’s been a good opening 20 minutes for those young players looking to make the most of their first-team auditions.
Lankshear and Vuskovic are the ones that have really impressed so far, but we’ve not really seen too much of Son off the left.
Kudus has been bright, but could do more.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:22 , Oli Gent63 mins: Good pressure from Lankshear, pressing with intent from the front. He forces Wing to pass loosely, and give away a surprise corner.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:20 , Oli Gent60 mins: Spurs are piling forward with intent now.
Donley has made a good start since coming on, and Vuskovic is well involved too. In fact, up he comes once more for this Kudus corner, but Pereira punches clear.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:15 , Oli Gent56 mins: Tottenham are two up and It's Mohammed Kudus and Luka Vuskovic involved again. The Ghanaian picks out Vuskovic, who strokes home. Frank's side are in control now.
Reading 0-2 Spurs
16:13 , Oli GentGoal! 53 mins: It’s two and it’s Luka Vuskovic! Reading are undone again as the teenage defender sweeps home with a lovely finish. Kudus gets the assist on his first run-out, as the Croat nestles on into the far corner.
Sam Tabuteau reports
16:10 , Oli Gent52 mins: Tottenham have the opening goal early on in the second-half as Will Lankshear heads in. An entirely new starting XI have found the breakthrough.
Reading 0-1 Spurs
16:08 , Oli GentGoal! 49 mins: That’s the first goal of the Frank era, as Will Lankshear gets it! The corner is whipped in, and the striker peels away at the back post to power home Vuskovic’s flick-on.
Kick off
16:07 , Oli Gent46 mins: Back underway.
Tottenham second half XI: Vicario; Spence, Van de Ven, Vuskovic, Davies; Bissouma, Bergvall, Donley; Kudus, Lankshear, Son.
Half time
15:48 , Oli GentThere’s the interval, and it’s goalless. No real chances barring Sarr and Romero’s sightings of goal. 0-0.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:47 , Oli Gent45+1 mins: Chance! Romero goes close as Porro delivers from the right. Romero is one of two options at the far stick, and he nods wide as he tries to sneak it inside Pereira’s near post.
Sam Tabuteau reports
15:46 , Oli Gent45 mins: Tottenham have had some nice ideas but as is to be expected, the execution is lacking. Mikey Moore has made some inroads.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:44 , Oli Gent43 mins: Still no breakthrough in Berkshire for Spurs, who are controlling the game patiently. Moore looks to slip it onto Solanke in the box, but there’s too much weight on it and Pereira collects.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:41 , Oli Gent40 mins: Great save! The delivery is good as Danso flicks on the first contact, and it comes to Sarr, who smashes goalwards from close range, but Pereira somehow keeps it out!
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:40 , Oli Gent39 mins: Wonderful play down the left as Mikey Moore weaves between two bodies to win the corner for the visitors. Porro comes across to take it.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:36 , Oli Gent35 mins: A first sighting of Heung-Min Son as the Spurs club captain makes his way down the touchline to warm up. He gets rapturous applause from the travelling fans.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:33 , Oli Gent33 mins: Heavy challenge from O’Mahoney on Porro, who spins away from him. The Irish striker is rightly booked, and he is shoved by a furious Brennan Johnson, who deems that unnecessary in a pre-season friendly.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:29 , Oli Gent30 mins: It’s been a bit of a tough watch so far, with both sides cancelling each other out. Spurs have had the better of proceedings, but no real clear-cut opportunities, other than Solanke’s half-chance.
Sam Tabuteau reports
15:25 , Oli Gent26 mins: Tottenham remain on top without carving out any chances of note. Academy graduate Alfie Devine is growing in confidence, he's got a big pre-season ahead of him.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:23 , Oli Gent23 mins: It’s bad news for Fin Burns as he hobbles off with a hamstring injury. He’s replaced by Michael Stickland at centre-back for the home side.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:19 , Oli Gent19 mins: Spurs are giving away silly fouls at the minute. That’ll be something that Frank will want to eradicate early. Reading are doing a decent job of keeping them at bay so far.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:16 , Oli Gent15 mins: Close! Solanke has his first sighting of goal as Devine delivers a shrewd inswinger, and Solanke attempts an audacious, improvised finish with the outside of his boot. It just loops over the top, though. Nothing doing.
Sam Tabuteau reports
15:13 , Oli Gent13 mins: Tottenham have dominated the early stages but it's Reading who come closest as Pedro Porro clears off the line. Thomas Frank has been pleased with his side's combinations down the left wing.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:11 , Oli Gent11 mins: A first moment of worry for Spurs as Savage delivers the free-kick, and O’Connor loops it back into the box. Kinsky clatters Danso under the high ball, and Porro is there to divert it off the line from a Reading effort as Spurs survive a scare!
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:09 , Oli Gent10 mins: Free kick, Reading. Solanke goes for a 50-50 challenge with Abrefa as the ball breaks loose on the left-hand side of the area, but he’s adjudged to have been a bit too forceful with the shoulder barge.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:08 , Oli Gent8 mins: Solanke is proving a problem for the home side as he runs the channels unselfishly. He peels wide, looking for the run of Devine into the area, but Dorsett hacks clear.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:07 , Oli Gent6 mins: Frank applauds as Solanke and Udogie link up nicely down the left. The left-back starts the move and bursts on, looking for the return. Abrefa gets across to concede the corner, which Porro takes, but Pereira punches clear.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:06 , Oli Gent5 mins: As for Reading, they’re in a 4-3-3, surprisingly. You’d have expected a back five from their line-up on paper, but it’s a back four with a front three of Ehibhatiomhan, O’Mahoney, and Garcia.
Reading 0-0 Spurs
15:04 , Oli Gent3 mins: Some tactical observations. Mikey Moore is off the left, and it is a 4-2-3-1 shape, with Alfie Devine as the No10. Early pressure from Spurs as they look to press high, and good work from Devine wins an early corner.
Kick off!
15:02 , Oli Gent1 min: We are underway!
Sam Tabuteau reports: Late line-up change!
14:51 , Oli GentAntonin Kinsky starts in goal in the first-half in place of Guglielmo Vicario. No injury, just a mistake on the club's social media accounts. Tottenham fans will breathe a sigh of relief. Injuries decimated them last season.
Reading vs Spurs head-to-head record
14:45 , Oli GentIt has been 12 years since Reading and Spurs last played each other, when the Royals were in the Premier League.
Reading wins: 16
Tottenham wins: 16
Draws: 29
Sam Tabuteau reports
14:30 , Oli GentTottenham go strong in their first pre-season game of the campaign. Cristian Romero captains the side, while Son Heung-Min and summer signing Mohammed Kudus are on the bench. The pair will make up a new-look starting XI in the second half.
Reading confirmed line-up
14:15 , Oli GentReading XI: Pereira; Abrefa, O’Connor, Burns, Dorsett, Garcia; Sackey, Savage, Wing; O’Mahoney, Ehibhatiomhan.
Subs: Stevens, Rhone, Elliott, Jacob, Stickland, Camara, Ryan, Ahmed, Peters, Borgnis, Spencer, Osho.
Spurs confirmed line-up
14:03 , Oli GentHere is Thomas Frank’s first ever starting line-up as Tottenham boss!
Spurs XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Danso, Udogie; Bentancur, Sarr, Devine; Johnson, Solanke, Moore.
Subs: Kinsky, Austin, Davies, Vuskovic, Phillips, Van de Ven, Spence, Abbott, Bissouma, Bergvall, Donley, Son, Lankshear, Yang, Kudus.
Today's venue
13:45 , Oli GentMany might know this former Premier League ground as the Madejski Stadium, embroidered in Waitrose logos.
Dave Kitson was up front, Stephen Hunt was doing his thing in midfield, and Simon Church and Shane Long were on the cusp of starting berths as spritely wonderkids.
Now, Reading are in League One after numerous seasons of uncertainty, but they appear to have turned the corner going into the new campaign, where they are looking up rather than down.
The Select Car Leasing Stadium plays host to this one.
Standard Sport prediction
13:30 , Oli GentThomas Frank will be hoping for a good performance in his first game in charge, and we expect him to name two strong line-ups across both halves.
He spoke in his press conference about being front-footed and aggressive in attack, and we are anticipating that mentality in Berkshire today.
Spurs to win, 4-1
Reading team news
13:15 , Oli GentReading handed debuts to new signings Paudie O’Connor, Finley Burns and Mark O'Mahony at Gillingham, while Ben Elliott made his long-awaited return from injury off the bench against Swindon.
However, Harvey Knibbs has not featured so far this summer due to injury and Hull loanee Matty Jacob has also not played yet, while club captain Andy Yiadom was absent in midweek.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan scored against Swindon but has still not had an extension to his expiring contract announced, with Reading notably short in forward areas. The likes of Tyler Bindon, Amadou Mbengue, Jayden Wareham and Michael Craig have all now departed.
Their other new signing is goalkeeper Jack Stevens, who will back up No1 Joel Pereira after the departures of David Button and Coniah Boyce-Clarke. Joe Morrell and Yeboah Amankwah have both been on trial.
Tottenham team news
13:00 , Oli GentMohammed Kudus is poised for his first minutes as a Spurs player after his £55million move from West Ham, while young defender Kota Takai, who has joined from J1 League side Kawasaki Frontale for £5m, is also in contention for his first minutes.
Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso have turned their loan deals into permanent signings, while players who have spent the season away at Spurs will be looking to impress their new manager.
Spurs will be without injured quartet Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Lucas Bergvall and Radu Dragusin.
Manor Solomon is understood to want to prove his worth after a stellar season with Leeds, while Jamie Donley have returned from Leyton Orient.
It has been almost two years since young centre-back Luka Vuskovic agreed to join Spurs and, after time in Belgium with Westerlo, he will be hoping to play his first minutes.
January signing Yang Min-hyeok was soon sent to QPR for the second half of last season, and scored twice, so Frank will be keeping an eye on him, along with the likes of Alfie Devine, Ashley Phillips, Alfie Dorrington and Will Lankshear.
Archie Gray played most of last season out of position across the back four, but this season hopes to get more chances in midfield, starting at Reading.
How to watch
12:37 , Oli GentTV channel: The game will not be broadcast live on TV in the UK.
Live stream: Spurs fans will be able to stream the game live on SPURSPLAY. A 12-month subscription costs £45. Reading will be showing the game live on their RoyalsTV service for a one-off payment of £5.
Hello and welcome!
12:33 , Oli Gent... Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Spurs’ first pre-season game of the campaign, and Thomas Frank’s first as their new manager.
Kick off is at 3pm BST, so stay tuned for all the updates!
