Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland Match Report: New year, same old boos for Thomas Frank
An underwhelming second-half display by Tottenham cost them two valuable points as they were held to a late 1-1 draw by Sunderland at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In what was their first home outing of the new year, Tottenham Hotspur were hoping for a fresh start after a miserable run at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium throughout 2025, yet those hopes were quickly tempered as familiar frustrations resurfaced, leaving Thomas Frank once again facing an uncomfortable set of questions at full-time.
Having named three defensive midfielders in midweek against Brentford in a decision that backfired badly, Frank attempted to strike a more adventurous balance here. He handed Wilson Odobert the number 10 role, offering Mathys Tel a rare start, and surprisingly giving Ben Davies his first Premier League start of the season, with Joao Palhinha and Djed Spence both dropping to the bench.
First half: Tottenham 1-0 Sunderland
Tottenham made a brighter start than many would have expected, with Mathys Tel testing Robin Roefs inside the opening minute before Pedro Porro followed up with an ambitious effort from near the halfway line that was not far away from catching the Sunderland goalkeeper out.
The hosts continued to apply pressure and should arguably have gone ahead when Porro delivered a dangerous cross towards Richarlison, only for a perfectly timed intervention from Nordi Mukiele to deny the Brazilian a simple header from close range.
The evening took an early turn, however, when Mohammed Kudus was forced off after just 20 minutes with what appeared to be a thigh issue, prompting an uncomfortable reshuffle as Randal Kolo Muani was introduced on the right.
Despite that disruption, Spurs maintained their tempo, and the breakthrough finally arrived from a set-piece. Cristian Romero chested the ball down from Mathys Tel’s corner before laying it for Micky van de Ven, whose effort was turned into the net by Ben Davies from close range for 1-0.
Second half: Tottenham 0-1 Sunderland
While Sunderland threatened early in the second half through Simon Adingra and Brian Brobbey, it was the hosts who passed up a golden opportunity to double their advantage when Richarlison broke into acres of space, only to under-hit his pass towards an unmarked Kolo Muani inside the box.
However, a series of defensive substitutions saw Tottenham retreat deeper, inviting pressure rather than managing the game, and that approach eventually proved costly.
After Enzo Le Fee glanced a header just wide, Sunderland found their equaliser with ten minutes remaining, as Brobbey combined neatly with Le Fee before shrugging off challenges from Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero, and firing past Guglielmo Vicario to silence the home crowd.
FT: TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-1 SUNDERLAND
Spurs Web man of the match: Ben Davies
What’s next for Spurs?
The draw means Tottenham miss the chance to climb up to 7th and instead remain 13th, exactly where they started the evening, with the race for the Champions League places beginning to look increasingly congested.
There were genuine positives in the first-half display, which was comfortably the best Spurs have produced in recent weeks, but the second-half collapse was entirely self-inflicted.
The injury to Mohammed Kudus is another significant blow, and it is difficult to ignore Thomas Frank’s role in that situation, given how heavily the winger has been relied upon week after week with virtually no rotation.
That context makes Brennan Johnson’s departure even harder to justify, with Frank himself having informed the Welshman he was no longer needed despite knowing Spurs had no genuine alternative to Kudus on the right.
With the margin for error shrinking, reinforcements are a must this window, or this season threatens to drift in a worrying direction.
Next up for Spurs is a trip to Bournemouth, a side without a win in two months.
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