Key Takeaways:
- Tottenham were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal in the north London derby, with Eberechi Eze netting a hat-trick on Sunday
- Manager Thomas Frank and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario both apologised to supporters for the team’s lack of fight
- Spurs will face Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday as they look to deliver a response
Match Analysis and Tactical Breakdown
Tottenham endured a crushing 4-1 defeat against Arsenal in the latest north London derby, with Eberechi Eze producing a remarkable hat-trick to compound Spurs’ woes. The visitors scarcely troubled Arsenal, aside from a speculative 40-yard effort from Richarlison which bested David Raya. In a bid to contain the Premier League leaders, Thomas Frank shifted Spurs to a defensive back-five, but his tactical decision-making came under immediate scrutiny as Arsenal dominated proceedings from the outset.
🗣️"I can only apologise to the fans"
🗣️"I was expecting much more from us"Spurs boss Thomas Frank takes full responsibility for Sunday's North London derby defeat ⚪ pic.twitter.com/qq4GdQLdCi
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 24, 2025
Thomas Frank described the defeat as “extremely painful”, expressing his disappointment in Spurs’ performance. He pinpointed his side’s struggle in duels and their lack of aggression, highlighting that both Arsenal’s second and third goals came when opposition players cut through multiple defenders. “I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn’t win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn’t win enough. I tried to play a 5-4-1. I will always take responsibility as my choice in the end to take the system then and we changed it at half-time,” said Frank.
Players and Staff Take Responsibility
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also addressed Spurs fans after the match, shouldering responsibility for the team’s performance and acknowledging the lack of competitiveness. Vicario did not cite tactical choices for the defeat, instead attributing the loss to passivity and failure to fight during key moments. “A very bad night for us. First of all we have to apologise to the people that support us every day. They expected us to fight and today we didn’t fight. That’s not negotiable to do in football in this level,” said Vicario.
The goalkeeper went on to comment on Eze’s opening goal, which was checked by VAR and allowed to stand despite Vicario’s view being obscured by Arsenal players in an offside position: “I think the way the game went it wouldn’t have changed anything. There were three people in front of me so of course they impacted me. But we didn’t lose the game for that.”
Reaction and Next Steps
Having only recently replaced Ange Postecoglou, Frank has presided over defeats to both Arsenal and Chelsea, with Spurs failing to register significant goal threats in those encounters. “It was a bad performance,” he noted, further adding his intention to review the entire match in detail.
Former Tottenham striker Les Ferdinand offered a scathing assessment of the team’s display, stating they looked like “tiddlywinks” and criticising their lack of competitiveness: “We just didn’t compete. Whatever derby you turn up to, you know it’s going to be hostile, you know it’s going to be fierce. It just didn’t look like that today,” Ferdinand told Sky Sports. “They just didn’t compete the whole game. If you’re a Spurs fan now, you’re frustrated as anything. We’ve spoken about how they’ve gone to the best team in the league at this moment in time. So what do you want to do? You want to have a go. We laid down today and got absolutely rolled over.”
With a pivotal Champions League fixture against Paris Saint-Germain looming on Wednesday, Spurs will be under pressure to deliver a far stronger performance in Europe as they seek to regain lost confidence and restore pride amongst their supporters.
