Micky van de Ven stunner lights up Tottenham’s Champions League victory | OneFootball

Micky van de Ven’s goal of the season contender helped Tottenham provide boss Thomas Frank with much-needed home comforts after a 4-0 thrashing of Copenhagen in the Champions League.

Frank watched Spurs deliver a tepid display in a poor London derby loss to Chelsea on Saturday, which sparked boos at full-time and an unfortunate flashpoint between Van de Ven and Djed Spence.

Van de Ven and Spence ignored the instructions of Frank to applaud the home fans, but an apology by the duo on Monday was followed by a sensational strike by the Dutch defender.

Vice-captain Van de Ven carried the ball from the edge of his penalty area to score a superb solo goal in the 64th minute.

It put Tottenham 3-0 up but was decisive as Brennan Johnson, who produced a 19th-minute opener, was controversially sent off at the start of the second half minutes after Wilson Odobert added a second.

Substitute Joao Palhinha added gloss to the score with 23 minutes left before RIcharlison squandered a late spot-kick as Spurs produced the biggest win of Frank’s 17-game tenure at the perfect time to move onto eight points in the Champions League and keep alive their hopes of a top-eight finish.

After the team were booed on multiple occasions on Saturday, Frank shuffled his pack with last season’s leading scorer Johnson recalled and the fit-again Destiny Udogie at left-back for the first time since October 4.

Xavi Simons, another brought in by Frank, set up Udogie for a sliced effort straight at Dominik Kotarski and two minutes later the £52million summer recruit made the opener.

Rodrigo Bentancur found Xavi, who curled through to Johnson and Tottenham’s number 22 expertly rounded Kotarski before he calmly slotted home.

It was Johnson’s 45th goal involvement for Spurs in his 101st match and much-needed for a team who had won only four of their last 20 domestic home fixtures.

Johnson almost turned provider moments later but his chipped cross was sent over by Pape Sarr.

Copenhagen’s Youssoufa Moukoko fired straight at Guglielmo Vicario from a corner but it should have been 2-0 at half-time.

With Xavi’s influence growing, his one-two with Odobert set up a golden chance for Randal Kolo Muani but he side-footed wide.

Kolo Muani then headed over from a superb Xavi cross in stoppage time before Tottenham grabbed a second six minutes into the second half.

Pedro Porro’s long pass seemed routine for Kotarski but Kolo Muani blocked the clearance, brought the ball down majestically inside the area and teed up Odobert.

It sparked a crazy 17-minute spell with a red card for Johnson was followed by two counter-attacking goals involving Spurs’ centre-backs.

Firstly Johnson’s evening ended prematurely and in contentious fashion as he slid in on Copenhagen left-back Marcos Lopez. Referee Erik Lambechts brandished a yellow card but VAR upgraded it to a red.

Van de Ven ensured the fixture was not in the balance for long as in the 64th minute he produced a contender for FIFA’s Puskas award.

The Dutch defender received the ball on the edge of his own area and produced a barnstorming run before he finished with aplomb.

Romero attempted to rival his fellow centre-back when he led a counter-attack and teed up substitute Palhinha three minutes later.

There was still time for Richarlison to smash a stoppage-time spot-kick against the crossbar but it failed to sour a much-needed home win for Frank.