Portugal Colonial - Frank relieved after Spurs ease pressure on under-fire boss

Frank had been feeling the heat after a succession of tepid home displays and a run of three defeats in four matches.

But his decision to hand Xavi Simons a first start since November 8 proved decisive in a much-needed victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

It took Simons only 25 minutes to set up Richarlison's opener before he netted himself with a fine solo goal in the 43rd minute to finally break his duck for the club.

Simons' inspired display gave Tottenham only a fourth home league win in 2025.

"(I am) Happy for him. He has been working very hard, he is a top pro, he is so determined and wants it so badly in every aspect of his game, but it's a little bit of adaptation and also the team a little bit out of sync," Frank said of Simons.

"Every player needs that extra bit of confidence and that comes from his performance, the team's performance and that assist and goal gave him that extra bit of lightness in his step and his touches."

Tottenham were on a dismal run of one win in eight games before Frank's reunion with Brentford.

Another defeat at home, after last Saturday's shock 2-1 loss to Fulham, would have sparked more debate about Fran's suitability for the job.

"(I am) Very happy with the win. I think that's the most important thing," he said.

"What I would say, I was just extremely happy with the offensive performance. It just looked more right."

Brentford boss Keith Andrews worked under Frank last season, but insisted there was no extra edge to their first head to head battle.

"I saw Thomas briefly before but no, it didn't feel strange at all. I was just totally engrossed in the game and how that looked," he said.

"The first half we didn't hit the levels we had and we came up against a team that upped their level from what I had seen and we need to own it."

P.Mira--PC