PSG 5-3 Spurs | Thomas Frank’s verdict | OneFootball

Thomas Frank wanted a reaction from the players after Sunday’s derby defeat and it’s fair to say he got exactly that as we pushed European champions PSG all the way at Parc des Princes in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

And while it’s also fair to say the final 5-3 scoreline took some of the shine off the performance, it’s worth highlighting that we led twice and were only pegged back by wonder goals from Vitinha. We also had a sniff of a late comeback when Randal Kolo Muani buried his second goal for 4-3 with 72 minutes on the clock, only to concede a penalty two minutes later, converted by Vitinha, who completed his hat-trick to put PSG out of sight.

There was an energy about the team, spearheaded by Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray, back in the starting line-up after recent injuries – the pair combined to set up the opener for Richarlison and were picked out for praise by Thomas afterwards.

Speaking to SPURSPLAY, Thomas reflected on the plusses and minuses from an eventful MD5 encounter. “I think first and foremost, I'm pleased with the response we got from the players,” he told us.

“I loved how we were aggressive and forward and went after PSG away from home. I think that's a performance there is a future in. I also like how we were thinking forward and running forward and being positive. We're coming up 1-0, we're coming up 2-1 - that's also very positive.

“But then, of course, when we concede five it’s never good, especially goals three and four - we cannot concede those goals. That cannot happen if we want to win a game like this or get something out of a game like this.

“Besides that, I think it's positive that the two strikers scored three goals between them. I think overall the team made a good performance from everyone, but I also think Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were positives.”

We put to Thomas that he demanded a reaction from the players after the NLD – and got it.

“Yeah, definitely,” he added. “That's the thing, because it was a bad performance in the last game, but after a bad performance there needs to come a reaction. If there’s not a reaction, then we need to be worried. Today, I saw a good reaction and there's something to build on.”

Next up, Fulham at home in the Premier League on Saturday (3pm UK).