Tottenham showed a resilience rarely seen last season as they battled back from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw at Brighton, leaving new manager Thomas Frank full of admiration for his side’s spirit.
First-half goals from Yankuba Minteh and Yasin Ayari put Brighton in control, but Richarlison’s strike after the break gave Spurs hope before Jan Paul van Hecke’s own goal secured a point.
Frank felt his players might even have gone on to win.“I’m very, very pleased with it,” the Dane said. “The way we sprinted back on recovery runs, that’s goosebumps, that’s bread and butter.
Even after a midweek game, they were strong, intense and wanted more. Maybe this was our most complete performance so far.”The draw was a stark contrast to last season’s collapse at the Amex under Ange Postecoglou, when Spurs threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2.
Frank, by comparison, has quickly instilled structure and belief, with his side conceding only three goals in five league games while collecting 10 points to sit second in the table.“We want to be a resilient team because we play against good teams and it will be difficult sometimes,” Frank added.
“It’s about consistency now. We’ve had four good performances and one bad in five league matches. Can we take the bad ones out?”Spurs’ revival under their new manager continues with a League Cup tie at Doncaster Rovers next week, before Wolverhampton visit north London in the Premier League.
