Cristian Romero made a telling confession after Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 home defeat to West Ham.
It was the latest in a long line of disappointing results for Thomas Frank, as Tottenham Hotspur went down 2-1 to a relegation-battling West Ham side at home on Saturday.
Spurs’ poor home record in the Premier League continued. Following a 2-1 loss to West Ham, they have now suffered six home defeats. It was a truly exasperating evening for the Lilywhites, as the Hammers deservedly took the lead in the 15th minute from Crysencio Summerville.
The West Ham winger cut onto his right foot from the left flank, dribbled past Pedro Porro and Conor Gallagher and fired a shot that took a big deflection off Micky van de Ven and went in. The visitors dominated large periods of the first half but were let down by wasteful finishing. Spurs showed energy, fight and grit after the break and got the leveller through skipper Cristian Romero in the 64th minute.
A pinpoint Porro cross from the right was powered home by Romero at the back post, livening up the home crowd. The goal shifted the momentum completely in the home side’s favour as they started asking more questions of West Ham’s defence. However, Thomas Frank’s side got sucker-punched by a 93rd-minute winner from Callum Wilson, leading to boos from the home fans at full-time whistle.
Cristian Romero says Tottenham must stay together in “a difficult moment”
Cristian Romero described the West Ham defeat as a “disaster” for Spurs. The Argentine defender looked to have snatched a point for the north Londoners when he equalised midway through the second half, but Wilson struck in the 93rd minute to leave Thomas Frank on the brink of the sack.
it is in back-to-back Premier League games that Tottenham have conceded late winners. After conceding a late winner at Bournemouth last week, Thomas Frank’s side showed poor in-game management at home this time around against a West Ham side fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Premier League table.
With a quick turnaround that sees Tottenham welcome Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, there is little time for Spurs to lick their wounds. Romero has thanked the fans for always supporting the team, insisting that they will switch their attention towards the Champions League encounter against Borussia Dortmund and try to bounce back.
“In this moment we need to stay together, work hard, come back tomorrow to the training ground. It’s a disaster in this moment for us,” Romero told BBC Sport, in a telling confession.
“Thank you to the fans for always staying with us. Tomorrow we will train in silence, work hard again, midweek we have another big match.
“At this moment, this is a disaster for us. We played sometimes good, sometimes bad. We must work hard and go again.
“It is a difficult moment for us. We are not the best on the pitch.”
Just not good enough from Tottenham
Overall, Tottenham did not deserve to beat West Ham. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were the better side, especially at the back. They actually surprised Frank and Co. by pressing high and going man-to-man at times, leaving the hosts with no ideas to carve open their defence.
The Lilywhites responded in the second 45 minutes, showing more energy and winning second balls and tackles. Their persistence paid off when Romero nodded home the equaliser. Spurs were in the ascendancy from that moment, and the crowd pushed the team to get the winner. But for the second week running, the north Londoners got exposed defensively at the most crucial time and handed the points to the opposition.
This defeat will sting a lot, and it may well prove to be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back.