Tottenham were booed for the second consecutive game after drawing 1-1 at home with Sunderland as Brian Brobbey’s late equalizer kept Spurs manager Thomas Frank under pressure.
Frank was booed by Spurs fans at full-time in west London during Thursday’s drab goalless draw at Brentford, with the away side chanting “boring, boring Tottenham”.
And while Spurs were much more entertaining in the first half against Sunderland, taking a deserved lead with a goal from unlikely goalscorer Ben Davies, the visitors came on strong in the second half and snatched a draw, sparking further jeers.
Spurs only had one shot on target in the second half, but Brobby’s equalizer in the 80th minute added to the frustration of the home fans.
Spurs continued their winless start to 2026, with Spurs substitute Joao Parinha heading home a perfect chance to take the lead in stoppage time.
Frank’s side have won just two of their last 11 league games and remain in 13th place, seven points behind the top four.
Spurs were also injured in the draw with main attacker Mohamed Kudus sent off in the 19th minute, injured just two days after selling Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace for £35 million.
Sunderland, on the other hand, fought admirably against the backdrop of multiple African Cup of Nations absentees and moved into eighth place with four consecutive wins.
Frank: We didn’t finish the game.
Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank said this in the post-match press conference.
“I’m happy with the first half. I think we showed a lot of good intentions, a lot of good plays. I think we were in a very good attacking situation where we lacked cutting-edge quality.”
“I think the big headline is that we couldn’t score 2-0. We couldn’t stop the game. 2-0 would put us out of sight.
“We didn’t concede anything throughout the game. There was a game where the opponent played their best and it was 1-1. So for me, a 2-0 goal was not enough.”
“I thought the first half was very good and I think we were completely dominant. In the second half, we weren’t as dominant, but we still found ourselves in very good situations and had some good counter-attacking situations, which we need to exploit more from.”
“In the Premier League you can’t just rely on winning 1-0.”
Le Bris: “We were lucky not to get punished in the first half”
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Brian Brobbey lashes out at Sunderland leveller
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris said this in the post-match press conference.
“We lacked energy and only losing 1-0 was enough to turn us on.
“We were a bit lucky because in a Premier League game if you don’t play your best you should be punished.
“It wasn’t, so we were still alive. We said, just turn it on and do the simple things well, because tactically I think we were okay.”
“It was about being more composed with the ball and our ability to win first contact because they were predictably direct against our man-for-man press. We didn’t win first contact and second ball, so that was the balance of the game. We had the character and quality to switch on and I think that was a positive.”
Analysis: Frank continues to battle a disgruntled fanbase
In the new year, boos erupted once again at the final whistle at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Last year, Spurs lost 11 games at home in the league, a club record in a calendar year, and while this wasn’t a loss, the home fans were once again dissatisfied.
A bright first half put smiles on the faces of Spurs supporters, with a series of shots from Davis as a surprise goalscorer.
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Ben Davies scores Spurs’ first goal.
Spurs’ first goal in a Premier League opener in three years brought joyful chants and changed the atmosphere at half-time in north London.
However, it turned out to be a false dawn. Sunderland came out a different team in the second half and rightly put Spurs on the back foot, maintaining the bad feeling they had in N17.
Spurs manager Frank was once again jeered at the final whistle as he continues to battle a dissatisfied fan base.
And when it rains, it rains heavily. Kudus was injured in the first half just two days after being sent off at Johnson’s Palace, leaving Spurs short on attacking options.
The January transfer window has become even more important if Frank is to weather this Spurs storm.
Opta fact: Frank has already equaled Ange’s Spurs draw record
Tottenham have drawn six of Thomas Frank’s 20 Premier League games this season (7 wins, 7 losses), experiencing as many stalemates as Spurs have endured in Ange Postecoglou’s last 53 league games (18 wins, 29 losses). Sunderland are unbeaten in their last five games in the Premier League (one win, four draws) and have drawn each of their last four. It is the Black Cats’ longest unbeaten run in the top flight since they achieved six in a row under Sam Allardyce in April/May 2016. Tottenham are only the second team in this season’s Premier League to score from corners more than 10 times (after Arsenal’s 11), while Spurs have already equaled last season’s overall record (10). Ben Davies, 32 years and 255 days old, is Tottenham’s oldest defender to score in the Premier League since William Gallas played against Chelsea in October 2012 (aged 35 years and 64 days).
