Frank 'falling in love' with Spurs after 'exceptional' Man City win

Thomas Frank revealed he is starting to "fall in love" with Tottenham after leading them to a 2-0 victory over Manchester City on Saturday. 

Frank watched on as first-half goals from Brennan Johnson and Joao Palhinha helped Spurs make it two wins from two to start their Premier League campaign. 

Spurs could have added to their tally late in the day, with James Trafford partly atoning for an earlier error with quickfire saves to repel efforts from Dominic Solanke and Wilson Odobert. 

And Frank's side were worthy of their win, despite ending the game with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.02 from their 12 shots to City's 1.51 from their 10 attempts. 

After what was just the Dane's third competitive match in charge, Frank described the depth of his feeling for the club.

"Very pleasing result and overall performance," Frank told TNT Sports. "The first 35 minutes City were slightly on top. That goal helped.

"A big thing in these games against City, who are a top team, is stay in the game and keep doing what you're doing.

"In the second half, we were exceptional in many ways. We constantly went for the 3-0 goal, which unfortunately we didn't get.

"It was the second clean sheet in a row. Last year we got six. That's been a big thing for me.

"I loved Brentford, and I am falling in love with this club here."

Having also won with Brentford in November 2022, Frank became only the third coach to beat Guardiola away from home in the league with two different clubs. 

The Spurs boss joined both Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid and Manchester United) and Antonio Conte (Chelsea and Tottenham) in achieving the impressive feat. 

And Frank praised his side for learning the lessons of a painful UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, which they lost on penalties after letting a two-goal lead slip. 

"I referenced it at half-time. When you're tired, keep going. That was one thing," Frank said. "Two [was] that we had to keep being brave on the ball.

"Three [was] that we had to keep being good at high pressure. But also, that's easier said than done.

"But from every game you learn. From games where you don’t get the result you want, you learn maybe even more.

"And then I think in some ways, of course, the other thing [an incident involving Trafford] was a foul. That was away at the Etihad. One of the most difficult places to go to.

"But the defensive principles are more and more, and then I think the mentality is the key thing. You need a mentality to win games like this."

Despite their inconsistent performances across recent seasons, Spurs have often stepped up to the mark at the Etihad.

They have now won three of their last five (D1 L1) Premier League matches at the stadium, two more than in their previous 11 visits (D2 L8).

The result also saw them put together back-to-back away triumphs against City for the first time since May 2010, with Spurs making a bright start under Frank. 

Their performances under the Dane have been in stark contrast to those in the latter stages under Ange Postecoglou, who, despite leading them to Europa League glory, was sacked in June. 

Only Son Heung-min (28) scored more goals than Johnson (23) under Postecoglou across all competitions, but the Wales international said he was enjoying his freedom in the final third under Frank. 

"Nothing massively," Johnson said of the differences between Postecoglou and Frank as head coaches. "Two different coaches.

"Really enjoying it and a lot of detail goes into the set-pieces, but at the same time, he gives us a lot of attacking freedom.

"The first few games we have kept two clean sheets and against Man City it is not easy. I have played here a lot of times and conceded a lot of goals."