Van de Ven brilliance delays more Spurs ridicule as internal ‘desperation’ justified before Man Utd | OneFootball

Top scorer Micky van de Ven papered over the blatant cracks at Tottenham Hotspur by netting a remarkable goal of the season contender vs FC Copenhagen.

Thomas Frank had his first severe low as Spurs head coach on Saturday as his side were on the end of a rare 1-0 thumping, having recorded their second-lowest ever xG (0.1) in a Premier League match.

In the aftermath of this shambolic Tottenham display, justified pitchforks were being directed at Frank and his “League Two team” as their current sixth-place standing in the Premier League does not tell the whole story amid their woes at home and alarming lack of a goal threat.

Therefore, Spurs and Frank are fortunate that they had the simplest of opportunities to earn their first home win since their September 24 victory over League One side Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday, with visitors FC Copenhagen yet to beat an English side away.

The north London outfit’s misfiring attackers also had the chance to build confidence against charitable opponents, as Copenhagen had conceded two or more goals in their last five Champions League games and 14 overall.

And Copenhagen’s fragility was evident as Tottenham took the lead around the 20-minute mark.

Spurs made a bright opening to the game as they penned Copenhagen in their half, with the away side picked off as soon as they committed men forward.

Classy Rodrigo Bentancur collected a loose pass and laid it off to summer signing Xavi Simons, who sent Brennan Johnson running with a lofted through ball. Goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski compounded the initial error by brainlessly rushing out of his area only to be rounded by the Spurs winger, who did well to convert into an open goal from a tight angle.

This gift afforded Tottenham the perfect platform to kick on and build a commanding lead, but they failed to take advantage before the break.

Simons, who has been likened to Antony, has been given a kicking in recent days, but he was at the heart of all of Tottenham’s good moments and should have had a second assist following a superb interchange with Wilson Odobert, though Randal Kolo Muani dragged his shot wide from close range.

Kolo Muani had an even better chance to get off the mark for Spurs seconds before the break, with Simons’ expert delivery setting up a free header inside ten yards that was sent over the bar by the out-of-form striker.

These lapses would have been punished had Tottenham been facing stronger opposition, as the hosts were slack in defence and had the same number of shots on target (two) in the opening half despite having 67% possession.

But just as Spurs started to risk the wrath of their frustrated supporters, Kotarski gave them another helping as they doubled their lead.

The calamitous goalkeeper poorly misjudged a loose long ball from Pedro Porro as Kolo Muani beat him to the punch before showing good composure to assist Odobert to score from close range. It didn’t make up for his earlier misses, but it was a quality piece of play from the striker who sorely needs a goal.

Minutes later, Johnson’s red card for a rash and needless sliding challenge threatened to set up a particularly Spursy end to this match, but their two centre-backs, who happen to be among their most dangerous attackers, ensured that didn’t happen.

Firstly, top scorer Micky van de Ven netted his sixth goal of the 2025/26 campaign, with this one of the most remarkable you will see all season. Bonus points to anyone who hears the X-rated off-mic comment from a rather startled Spurs fan after the road runner clinically converted…

Naturally, this encouraged fellow centre-back Cristian Romero to give himself a nosebleed as almost right from kick-off, the Tottenham captain advanced into the penalty area and assisted Joao Palhinha for his fourth goal of the season.

Richarlison struck the bar with a penalty in stoppage time to prevent Spurs from hitting Copenhagen for five, but this is still the biggest win for Frank at his new club.

It provides Frank and his team with a much-needed injection of optimism as they got the result they were craving, though Van de Ven’s moment of individual brilliance does somewhat paper over the cracks that would have been exposed had they faced an adequate opponent.

Barring an impressive performance from Simons, the same issues remain as Kolo Muani’s failings in front of goal and their overall lack of cohesion justify the reported internal ‘desperation’ for ‘new attackers in January’, so Spurs cannot get carried away by this display unless they answer questions against Manchester United at the weekend.