Tottenham manager Thomas Frank explains gaffe after holding Arsenal-branded coffee cup before Spurs defeat | OneFootball

Thomas Frank has defended himself after a picture emerged of the Tottenham manager holding an Arsenal-branded coffee cup before Spurs’ defeat by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Frank walked around the pitch before kick-off holding the cup, which displayed the club crest of Tottenham’s bitter north London rivals.

Leaders Arsenal were the previous visitors to the Vitality Stadium, having celebrated a 3-2 success at the ground on Saturday.

“I definitely didn’t notice it,” Frank said of the cup. “I think it’s fair to say we’re not winning every single football match so it would be absolutely, completely stupid of me to take a cup with Arsenal’s (emblem on).

“They have been in the changing room the game before us. It’s normal to take a cup, give me an espresso, I do that before every game, so I think actually it’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked a question about that.

“We’re definitely going in the wrong direction if we need to be worry about me having a cup with a logo of another club. Of course I would never do that. That’s extremely stupid.”

Frank was pictured holding the offending coffee cup before kick-off (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

The Dane's unfortunate gaffe sparked outrage among sections of Spurs' disgruntled fanbase after pictures circulated on social media. Further pressure was piled on Frank as Antoine Semenyo bid a likely farewell to Bournemouth by firing home a dramatic added-time winner.

Joao Palhinha’s bicycle kick looked set to earn Frank a reprieve after first-half goals from Bournemouth duo Evanilson and Junior Kroupi overturned Mathys Tel's early opener. But Cherries star Semenyo, who is on the verge of a £65m move to Manchester City, smashed home his 10th goal of the season in the fifth minute of added time.

The loss left Tottenham with just two wins from their last 12 top-flight games and prompted heated exchanges between travelling fans and players at full-time.

“I think it’s fair to say everyone involved in Tottenham, it’s a tough one to take today,” said Frank. “Hopefully everyone can see how hard we worked to get everything in the right direction.

“Overall the performance was good, especially the second half, in a game where we deserved to get more. That is extremely painful to be part of, so of course people are frustrated - that’s natural. It’s very tough to sit here right now and we haven’t got anything out of overall a good performance.”