Tottenham can feel disappointed not to have taken anything from their defeat to Liverpool, but ultimately they only have themselves to blame.
Spurs sensed an opportunity against Arne Slot’s side and were the better team until their overzealousness got the better of them and Xavi Simons was sent off late in the first half.
There was no malicious intent from Simons, but his follow-through on Virgil van Dijk was late, high and unnecessary.
It was not the first time Simons had made a challenge which had given the referee a decision to make, and Thomas Frank must get on top of ill-discipline at Spurs.
No team has accumulated more yellow cards in the Premier League than Spurs this season, and when games become frenzied their emotions get frayed.
Frank demanded a reaction after his side’s limp performance at Nottingham Forest but, with his team reduced to 10 and then nine men, Spurs let a game in which they had the measure of their opposition slip away from them.
Frank needs to get around Simons.
It has felt as though Frank has been putting out fires since he arrived at Spurs, with little time to showcase why he was brought to the club in the first place.
With Simons suffering a crisis of confidence, his man management skills need to come to the fore. He simply needs the 22-year-old’s signing to be a success.
Cristian Romero’s dismissal deep into stoppage time is a different issue entirely. Frank needs more from his captain.
In defending Romero post-game, Frank lauded the Argentinian’s impact at Spurs. Privately, though, he will feel let down.
Spurs had all the momentum as they chased a late equaliser against Liverpool, but that was soon snuffed out when Romero was awarded a second yellow card for reacting to Ibrahima Konate’s tackle.
Romero plays on emotion and channelled that in a positive way in scoring twice to rescue a draw away to Newcastle this month.
But his dismissal against Liverpool came at a time when Frank desperately needs some control.
Heading into an away game at Crystal Palace after Christmas, Spurs will now be without Simons and Romero.
For Frank, there will be a real sense of frustration that the fallout from their defeat will focus on their disciplinary problems rather than the shoots of growth that Spurs exhibited at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
