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It left so many eyebrows raised š¤Ø The Tottenham boss has now explained himself
āCompletely Stupidā – Thomas Frank Has Now Explained Massive Arsenal Cup Blunder
Thomas Frank has explained how he ended up drinking from anĀ ArsenalĀ cup ahead ofĀ Tottenham Hotspur’s 3-2 defeat againstĀ Bournemouth. The Dane was somehow spotted with the Gunners-themed drink before his side suffered their eighth loss in 21 league games.
When it rains, it pours for Frank, whose side took the lead at the Vitality through Mathys Tel (5′), only to end up losing after Antoine Semenyo netted a 90+5th-minute winner. It was another torrid night for the Danish coach who is under massive pressure with his Spurs side sat 14th in theĀ Premier LeagueĀ table.
Frank was already feeling the heat heading into tonight’s game, and the cup incident has only further intensified talk of his dismissal. He arrived in the summer as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement.
Frank: It Would Be Stupid Of Me
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While most of the post-match questions put to Frank focused on his team’s collapse against the Cherries, he was also asked about the cup he drank from before the game. It was bizarre, given that the two sides met on the South Coast, but he insisted he wasn’t aware of it.
Frank gave a defiant response, questioning why he was being asked about it. He said (viaĀ Alasdair Gold):
“I definitely did not notice it. It would be completely stupid of me to take it if I knew. It’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked about it. I would never do something that stupid.”
Spurs’ loss to Bournemouth was a massive setback for Frank and left them winless at the start of 2026. The Lilywhites drew 0-0 with Brentford on New Year’s Day before drawing 1-1 at home against Sunderland last Sunday.
Frank Wants Spurs To Copy ‘One of World’s Best’ Arsenal
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Tottenham came into the season in positive spirits, especially after beating Arsenal in the first North London derby outside the UK. Frank led his men to a 1-0 win in Asia during pre-season, and there were signs of promise in that game.
Frank had given an honest assessment of the Gunners ahead of that game by branding them one of the best teams in the world. He told reporters:
“It is also right now one of the best teams, I must say unfortunately, in the world. We also need to be honest.”
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Arsenal are leading the Premier League table, and a key reason has been their ability to pull out a win when not at their best. This was something Frank wanted his side to improve on and used their North London rivals as an example when speaking last week:
“Every good team needs to be able to do that. And as I said, we are building something. Also, itās fair to say that we are not where City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea are right now, unfortunately. We really want to be there, but even they need to win ugly sometimes, where they are winning 1-0.”
Frank has already tasted a competitive North London derby, and it was a day to forget after his Lilywhites were beaten 4-1 at the Emirates in November. There’s no guarantee he’ll still be in the job come February 22nd when the Gunners visit their rivals.
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A former PGMOL chief (Dermot Gallagher ) felt there was insufficient evidence to award a penalty, agreeing that the refereeās decision to play on was reasonable.
A former PGMOL chief (Dermot Gallagher ) felt there was insufficient evidence to award a penalty, agreeing that the refereeās decision to play on was reasonable. ļæ½
I searched for Dermot Gallagherās comments specifically on the Jeremie Frimpong penalty controversy fromArsenal vs Liverpool yesterday (8 Jan 2026) and hereās the current picture:
š Was Gallagher reported to have spoken on the Frimpong incident
Frimpong went down in the Arsenal box after a challenge, but no penalty was given by referee Anthony Taylor. ļæ½
The Guardian
The referee and VAR did not stop play or award a spot-kick, and the game continued into a 0ā0 draw. ļæ½
š What did we find about ex-official opinions?
A former PGMOL chief (Keith Hackett) felt there was insufficient evidence to award a penalty, agreeing that the refereeās decision to play on was reasonable. ļæ½
Football Insider
š§ About Dermot Gallagher and penalty analyses in general
In other recent matches, Gallagher has discussed penalties on Sky Sportsā āRef Watchā, often focusing on whether VAR intervention was clear and obvious or whether the referee correctly applied law regarding touching the ball vs foul contact. ļæ½
Sky Sports
However, no current reliable source shows Gallagher commenting on the Frimpong incident specifically.
ā ļø Twitter/Unofficial mentions
There are some unverified social posts claiming he might have commented (e.g., that it āshould have been a penaltyā or phrasing like āItās irrelevant after the gameā¦ā), but these arenāt from credible news outlets or confirmed quotes at this time. ļæ½
Threads
If you want, I can check again later once analysis shows up from Sky Sports or another primary broadcaster with official quotes from Dermot Gallagher on that exact Frimpong penalty call.
Analyse the numbers behind Liverpool’s goalless stalemate away against Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Reds took a point from their trip to Emirates Stadium on Thursday evening, extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches in the process too.
Explore statistics from the encounter via the Opta tools below.
Match Stats
Arsenal 0 0 Liverpool
English Premier League
08/01/26
GeneralDistributionAttack
Possession
47.6% 47.6%52.4% 52.4%
Duels success rate
48.5% 48.5%51.5% 51.5%
Aerial duels won
54.5% 54.5%45.5% 45.5%
Interceptions
7 78 8
Offsides
2 21 1
Corners won
3 30 0
Average Positions
Arsenal 0 0 Liverpool
HT 0-0
English Premier League
08/01/26
Venue
Emirates Stadium
Attendance
60,258
Referee
Anthony Taylor
Referee Anthony Taylor was in a good position to judge the challenge on Liverpoolās Jeremie Frimpong inside Arsenalās penalty area.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee,Ā Keith Hackett, who exclusively toldĀ Football InsiderĀ that there wasĀ āinsufficient evidenceāĀ to award a spot-kick at the Emirates on Thursday, 8 January.
WithĀ Mohamed Salah away with Egypt on international duty, Frimpong has been trusted in the right-wing position, and he caused issues for the Gunnersā back line on the counter-attack.
In the 35th minute,Ā Mikel Artetaās side played on while the 25-year-old went down holding his ankle, with Liverpool fans crying out for a penalty againstĀ Piero Hincapie, but calls fell upon deaf ears.
Hackett has criticised Taylor previouslyĀ in the season, but the referee was applauded for his actions on this occasion, much to the frustration of travelling fans.
Anthony Taylor spot-on to deny Jeremie Frimpong penalty shout
Speaking exclusively toĀ Football Insider, the former referee said:Ā āRefereeĀ Anthony TaylorĀ is in a good position, and there is insufficient evidence that there is contact. Therefore, play was allowed to continue.
āVAR, at this point, is in a position to look at various camera angles to seek and determine if the referee has made a clear and obvious error. There was no request for the referee to visit the pitch-side monitor.
In real time, there appeared to barely be a touch on the player, but upon watching the replays, there did appear to be a slight tangle of ankles, but unlikely to be enough for a penalty.
Liverpool could have been awarded a penalty in the second half
After picking up the first caution of the game,Ā Leandro TrossardĀ was involved once again, almost giving away a spot-kick just three minutes into the second half.
Bundling Florian Wirtz over in the box,Ā Gary NevilleĀ blasted the playerāsĀ āclumsyāĀ challenge, labelling it aĀ ārisk,āĀ but after a VAR check, the Gunners got away with another controversial incident.
There were several controversial incidents during the game, but this was likely the most dangerous, with Trossard already walking a tightrope, having picked up his yellow card in the 12th minute.
While a VAR check ruled that the referee got the right decision, many will be in disagreement, and those arguments are bound to continue well beyond the final whistle.
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