Thomas Frank Emphasises Positives After Tottenham's Late Draw With Manchester United

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Tottenham's head coach, Thomas Frank, remained optimistic despite his team conceding a late equaliser in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Bryan Mbeumo's goal in the 32nd minute initially put United ahead at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, Spurs responded swiftly with two goals in seven minutes from Mathys Tel and Richarlison, seemingly securing a fifth consecutive victory over their rivals.

Frank expressed his disappointment at conceding so late but noted the team's improvement from their previous 1-0 home loss to Chelsea. "Of course it's tough, of course it is painful, but for me there's a difference compared to Chelsea is it was a much better performance. Also, we didn't lose," Frank said. He appreciated the players' persistence and praised their efforts in securing what they thought was the winning goal before conceding.

Despite the draw, Spurs extended their unbeaten run against Manchester United to six league games (three wins and three draws). This equals their longest top-flight streak since October 1921. Frank defended his decision to substitute Xavi Simons, which drew boos from fans as Spurs were trailing. His replacement, Tel, scored just four minutes and 45 seconds after coming on.

Tel's goal matched his Premier League tally for this season with two goals in eight matches, equalling last season's record of two goals in 13 games. Frank praised Tel's impact and stressed the importance of fresh legs in achieving a positive result. "Mathys did well, great goal, great involvement and in general I think we played a fine game," he stated.

Frank acknowledged that Tottenham needs to improve to reach their end-of-season objectives. "I'm very aware there's a lot we can do better," he admitted. The coach emphasised building something exceptional for the fans while recognising the challenges faced during the second half against a strong opponent.

The match marked the first time Spurs had taken the lead in the 90th minute of a Premier League game without securing victory. Matthijs de Ligt's header in injury time levelled the score for United. Despite this setback, Frank focused on positives like maintaining an unbeaten streak against United and praised his team's resilience throughout the match.