Analysis: Van de Ven fulfils role at both ends of pitchpublished at 19:12 GMT 26 October
19:12 GMT 26 October
Emily Salley BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
After a drab midweek performance in the Champions League against Monaco, where Tottenham mustered a mere two shots on target, Thomas Frank opted for Randal Kolo Muani up front instead of ex-Everton forward Richarlison.
The summer signing was unable to make much of an impact before being substituted for Richarlison after 60 minutes, but it turns out he wasn't needed in the end.
Centre-back Micky Van de Ven transformed into an attacking force to be reckoned with.
Spurs' first goal came from a well-worked corner routine, with Rodrigo Bentancur heading the ball back across the face of goal for an unmarked Van de Ven to head home.
And Ven de Ven - filling in as captain in Cristian Romero's absence - added his second in first-half stoppage time as he rose above Jordan Pickford to nod in.
The Dutchman was equally impressive in defence, combining well with Kevin Danso as the pair dealt excellently with the 34 crosses thrown their way by Everton.
Everton 0-3 Tottenham: What Frank and Van De Ven said published at 19:00 GMT 26 October
19:00 GMT 26 October
Media caption,
Tottenham focus on set pieces is 'crucial' - Frank
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's victory away at Everton: "Very happy to be able to go here to Everton and they've been very good at home. Any away match you win 3-0 in the Premier League is super impressive.
"First half, we took control of the ball and passed more. The second half was more of a dog fight, which it can be in the Premier League. The season is very young. We won after the Champions League and that is not easy to do. Set pieces are so crucial. Right now, Arsenal is on track for the title from set pieces. We scored two very good goals and the boys competed excellently in our box."
On set pieces: "We worked hard on it and so did Micky [van de Ven]. Now he has three headers with two today. Still a lot of things I want to improve in the team. We have a clean sheet mentality, and that gives you a lot of points on the road.
"The second phase of set pieces was so good. The performances were so much more complete."
Spurs defender Micky van de Ven also spoke to BBC Match of the Day: "Special day today. I scored on the other side of the pitch, so the fans were far away from me, so I had to celebrate with them at the end.
"We work on set pieces every day, a little bit and to come away with two today is unbelievable.
On Jake O'Brien's goal being ruled out for Everton: "If you watch it back, then the player blocks Vicario from the offside position, so I think it's fair.
"Today is an important win. The league is really tight and everyone is beating everyone at the moment. It's a really big three points."
On Wednesday's Carabao Cup game: "Newcastle away is always difficult and Chelsea at home is always crazy in our stadium.
On poor home form: "If I knew it, then I would tell you guys. We have a massive game next week and we want to win at home."
Did you know?
Micky van de Ven became the first defender to score twice in a Premier League game for Tottenham Hotspur since Jan Vertonghen in March 2013, who also did so on Merseyside against Liverpool.
Tottenham Hotspur have scored with their first shot on target in four of their five Premier League away games this season – Spurs boast the best shot conversion rate in the competition this term (18% - 17/94).
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Crystal Palace" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wolves v Burnley", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Everton v Tottenhampublished at 10:30 GMT 26 October
10:30 GMT 26 October
Tottenham have become a more versatile side under Thomas Frank, able to set up to suit the opposition, but I don't feel as if they are ever clinical enough in the final third.
It is a similar story with Everton. I always feel they have a goal in them, just not from the centre-forward, whether it is Beto or Thierno Barry leading their attack.
It must be frustrating for Toffees manager David Moyes but being realistic, who can they attract, or afford, who would make a difference up front?
All of that makes me think this is going to be a tight game, and I don't think there will be a winner.
Everton v Tottenham: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 13:40 BST 25 October
13:40 BST 25 October
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
Everton are unbeaten so far in five games at Hill Dickinson Stadium and they next put that record on the line against a Tottenham side who have won more away points than any other team this season.
While Everton's home form has been strong, the 2-0 defeat at Manchester City last weekend highlighted familiar problems up front.
Everton's current two strikers, Beto and Thierno Barry, have scored one goal between them in 16 Premier League appearances this season.
Beto, who joined from Udinese for £21.5m two years ago, had an excellent chance to score early on at Etihad Stadium, narrowly failing to convert a low cross into an open goal.
The Guinea-Bissau international is underperforming his expected goals tally more than any other Premier League player bar Jean-Philippe Mateta this season - but whereas the Crystal Palace forward has still scored five Premier League goals, Beto has scored just one in eight appearances.
Barry, a £27.5m summer signing from Villarreal, is understandably taking time to adjust to the pace of Premier League football in only his second campaign in a top European league.
What may help the Toffees this weekend, as they attempt to win back-to-back Premier League meetings with Tottenham for the first time since manager David Moyes' first spell with the club, is the return of Jack Grealish.
The on-loan England international was ineligible to face parent club City last Saturday and Everton's attacking numbers - albeit in a tough assignment away from home - dropped off.
The Toffees average 13 shots and four on target per game with Grealish in the side in the Premier League this season but they managed just five shots, and one on target, against Pep Guardiola's side.
Tottenham's tally of 10 points from their opening four away matches is the highest of any side, beating Manchester City, West Ham United and Leeds United.
The 2-1 home defeat by Aston Villa last weekend, however, highlighted an ongoing vulnerability that will be familiar to Spurs' supporters.
Since the start of 2024-25, Tottenham have lost eight Premier League matches when scoring first - the joint most of any team along with Fulham.
And while fans may associate such setbacks with the reign of Ange Postecoglou, current Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has his own history of letting leads slip.
Over the same period, Frank has lost six games after scoring first - with Brentford and Spurs - with only Postecoglou and Fulham boss Marco Silva doing so more often.
Tottenham will also have to contend with a quicker turnaround following a Champions League result on Wednesday that may be less familiar in its circumstances - the 0-0 draw at Monaco was Tottenham's first goalless draw in 126 games in all competitions.
Frank on injuries, Spurs' midfield and Evertonpublished at 15:23 BST 24 October
15:23 BST 24 October
Melissa Edwards BBC Sport journalist
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium (kick-off 16:30 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie are still unavailable with "no timeframe" for their returns - but neither are far away.
Dominic Solanke has been out since August after appearing in the win against Manchester City but is "taking steps in the right direction" after spending time "on the grass" on Friday.
Frank said it would be "lovely" to use the striker along with the also-injured Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, but the club are trying to get a "flow" with their frontline.
Randal Kolo Muani appeared as a substitute on Wednesday against Monaco but Frank confirmed the forward is not ready to be "bombarded with 90 minutes".
On Pape Matar Sarr not playing much recently, he said: "There is nothing wrong with him. He was a very good player for us in the first six games. We rested him as a precaution before but [it is] competition, other players have done well. He has impressed me a lot though."
Following discussions about the effectiveness of midfield duo of Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, Frank says he is "happy" with the pair and "people can look at whatever they want".
On the rise in set-pieces and long throw-ins across the Premier League: "This season I have seen a crazy peak in it. I like it. Whatever you can do to create an advantage and an extra threat, you need to look into it. You can talk about styles but I'm looking at maximising the opportunity to score goals."
On facing Everton, he said: "I think Everton is a very good team, not just [Jack] Grealish. A good colleague and friend of mine David Moyes is there - someone who I respect a lot and his teams are always hard to beat. He has got Grealish able to flourish again."
Gossip: Tottenham may sell Richarlisonpublished at 07:42 BST 24 October
07:42 BST 24 October
Everton are ready to move to re-sign Brazil forward Richarlison, with Tottenham considering putting the 28-year-old on the market in January. (TeamTalk), external
'A worrying identity crisis is forming'published at 18:17 BST 23 October
18:17 BST 23 October
Bardi Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham's European adventure stumbled into the high stakes setting of Monte Carlo with a lot of bravado and promise, but holding very little.
They spent 90 minutes bluffing their way through a tough evening and only thanks to the shotstopping ability of Vicario were they able to break even.
There's been a lot of chatter that Spurs play better against better teams, but that line didn't ring true on Wednesday night. Monaco were better, and played better, and instead of raising their game Spurs hung on.
The result in cold isolation isn't a bad one: Monaco have a great home record, recently drawing 2-2 with Manchester City, and Thomas Frank is the first manager in our history to not lose any of his first four European fixtures.
Despite the positive record, a worrying identity crisis is forming.
Right now we are neither attacking, nor defensive.
We don't sit deep, and there is no structure to our press. We back off the opposition and invite them to shoot, and we seem unable to defend our penalty box.
In the moments we do hold on to the ball, we fling it out to Kudus and demand he rolls a double six to bring the house down.
For a manager we thought had a plan and ways of working, the current structure feels disconnected and overly reliant on moments of individual brilliance, rather than a cohesive system.
However, it's not all doom and gloom. Even on a frustrating night, we saw flashes of genuine quality that hint at a better future.
Randal Kolo Muani's cameo showed us how a top class number nine can link our forward line with the other bodies on the pitch.
Archie Gray demonstrated that he can carry, pass, and offer something other than sideways shuffles in centre midfield, and Palhinha's tackles, which are still echoing around the principality, remain some of the greatest things I've ever seen.
And after a torrid weekend, Vicario stood tall, reminding us with every save that despite any technical faults, he remains a top class shot stopper.
Spurs' rare stalematepublished at 16:41 BST 23 October
16:41 BST 23 October
Tom McCoy BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham supporters haven't been accustomed to goalless draws in recent years, with the result against Monaco their first 0-0 for 959 days.
Their last stalemate came during the final month of Antonio Conte's reign in March 2023 and was an especially frustrating one, as it resulted in Spurs meekly bowing out of the Champions League against AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate.
None of their subsequent 125 matches ended without a goal, with only 22 of those finishing in score draws.
Most of those games came under Ange Postecoglou, whose cavalier attacking style often frustrated Spurs fans but rarely bored them
Might that be the case more often under his more pragmatic successor Thomas Frank?
Since making his managerial debut in the Premier League in 2021, the Dane has overseen 11 goalless draws in the competition – with only Sean Dyche registering more.
'Watching Spurs is painful' - fans on Monaco drawpublished at 12:14 BST 23 October
12:14 BST 23 October
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We asked for your views on Tottenham's 0-0 draw with Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Here are some of your comments:
Noah: Awful just awful. The only positive was that the match eventually finished and we didn't have to watch it anymore.
Frank: Yet again Spurs failed to create any meaningful chances to score. Very lucky to escape with a clean sheet thanks in the main to Vicario's top-class performance. Pedro Porro had one of his worst games, couldn't get a pass to connect with a team-mate. We need Solanke back and a spark from someone in midfield soon please.
Johna: Thomas is in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks it was a well-earned point. We were dismal beyond comprehension. Our performances are getting worse. We will not make the knockout stages of the Champions League, neither will we finish in the top half of the Premier League. Something needs to change drastically or we are heading for another terrible season.
Jerry: Yet another in what is now a concerning sequence of poor performances. There is little sign of any creativity or attacking threat in this team and many of our players are either poor or are being made to look poor by the tactics and coaching. As I said months ago, we should have gone for Oliver Glasner.
James: One of the worst displays I've seen in a long time. We looked like a team who'd never played together before. Our midfield really needs sorting. Our attack really needs sorting. At least we got a point.
Ron: Every manager that goes to Spurs, regardless of reputation and past glories for some reason, falls flat on their face and Frank is going to be the next casualty. Watching Spurs is painful.
'You are seeing a different Tottenham'published at 09:34 BST 23 October
09:34 BST 23 October
Image source, Getty Images
Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson says Thomas Frank's Spurs are a "work in progress" but that his "fingerprints are on it already".
Spurs drew 0-0 in Monaco to continue their unbeaten start to their Champions League campaign.
"I was delighted when Thomas Frank was appointed," Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "He's a builder.
"He is tactically diverse and able to adapt in games, and you are seeing a different Tottenham.
"It's not going to happen overnight.
"You look at the squad he's inherited and you can see his fingerprints are on it already.
"I don't think a draw in Monaco will end up being a bad result for them. You look at the rest of the Champions League fixtures - they play at home against Copenhagen, Slavia Prague and Dortmund, and go to Frankfurt, with PSG being the tricky one.
"There's actually four very very winnable games in there and they could actually see themselves through to the next stage of the Champions League."
Meanwhile, former Chelsea and Scotland winger Pat Nevin said: "We're all excited what Frank can do at Spurs.
"He's taken a steer to make it a more sensible-looking group. They don't look 'Spursy' under Frank, they look a little bit more settled. People will sneer at 0-0 at Monaco, but they are a tough nut to crack.
"They haven't been beaten yet at home this season and it's actually not a very pleasant place to play football. It's a weird lack of atmosphere in that ground.
"If you draw your away games and win your homes games you're going to be fine."
Monaco 0-0 Tottenham: What Frank and Vicario saidpublished at 23:31 BST 22 October
23:31 BST 22 October
Image source, Getty Images
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank, speaking to TNT Sports: "I think there is big credit to Monaco today. It was a hard point won.
"It was a relatively even first half. Second half our performance was not good and Monaco were better than us. It demanded a lot to keep the clean sheet.
"I think Vicario was very good. But it was not the performance we wanted, especially the second half."
Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, also speaking to TNT Sports: "It was not the best performance from us. There is a lot to learn from this game because the level in the Champions League is very high. If you miss some basics it is tough to compete.
"Everyone who plays at the back is a Champions League player. It is not about changes tonight, it is about the effort, the mentality and the awareness of danger we need to have in some situations. I think tonight we lacked a little bit of that.
"It is a point we have to take. It is a tough point because we had to battle and suffer a lot so credit to Monaco. Today they were better than us."
Did you know?
This goalless draw put an end to Tottenham's run of 125 matches without one across all competitions, with their last one before Wednesday night's coming in March 2023 against Milan in the Champions League.
Tottenham have won just one of their past eight Champions League away matches (D3 L4), failing to win any of their past three on the road in the competition since a 2-1 win against Marseille in November 2022.
Analysis: Dismal display but Frank's side remain unbeatenpublished at 23:04 BST 22 October
23:04 BST 22 October
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Image source, Getty Images
The sound of Tottenham's travelling fans demanding more urgency from their side as they slowed the game down in stoppage time summed up the frustrating nature of this performance.
Spurs were strictly second best on a night when Monaco had the upper hand throughout in the staid surroundings of Stade Louis II, and they will have to produce better if they want to make serious progress in the Champions League.
It was only down to the brilliance of Guglielmo Vicario and Monaco's generosity in front of goal, especially the hapless Takumi Minamino, that allowed the English side to escape with a point.
Micky van de Ven's header and a half-chance for Richarlison apart, Spurs spent most of the game in survival mode, seemingly happy to settle for a draw as the clock wound down.
A lack of attacking threat will have troubled head coach Thomas Frank as they made little impression on Monaco's defence, with Richarlison's lack of impact seeing him replaced. Substitute Randal Kolo Muani, who had only played 24 minutes in two substitute appearances this season, was also unable to change the pattern of the game.
It was a second very average display from Spurs in the competition away from home in this campaign, having scrambled from 2-0 down to earn a point against Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt.
If Frank needed positives, though, he could point to the fact his side are unbeaten in their opening three games, with two played away, and managing that only once before in the 2017-18 Champions League campaign.
Monaco v Tottenham: Team newspublished at 19:12 BST 22 October
19:12 BST 22 October
Spurs head coach Thomas Frank has made three changes from the side that started the home defeat against Aston Villa on Sunday
Richarlison returns up front for Mathys Tel, while Archie Gray returns at left-back with Djed Spence dropping to the bench. Lucas Bergvall starts, with Xavi Simons one of the substitutes.
Image source, Getty Images
