Aston Villa’s FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in north London ended in chaos with both teams clashing, but Thomas Frank believes he knows who was to blame.
Thomas Frank has slammed Aston Villa players. (Image: Getty Images)
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank has accused Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins of provoking a huge brawl after the teams met in the FA Cup. Premier League teams met for the third round on Saturday.
Wilson Odbert scored a second-half goal for Villa, but goals from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rodgers put Villa ahead and won 2-1. But the drama didn’t end with the final whistle.
Spurs midfielder Joao Parinha appeared to take exception to Watkins’ celebration at the end of the match and was furious at the Villa star. After that, many players joined.
And Spurs manager Frank criticized the English striker’s role in the clash. In the post-match press conference, the Danish head coach said: “It was important to stay calm and the players gave their all. We lost a close game and the season hasn’t gone perfectly, but Ollie is very provocative.”
read more: Aston Villa fans brutally rub salt into Thomas Frank’s wounds as Tottenham lose againread more: Fierce brawl between Tottenham and Aston Villa, players gather one after another after FA Cup clash
“He can walk around easily. Anyone with a competitive nature, that can trigger things.”
Asked if he needed to be careful not to let his players get drawn in, he added: “We need to play with passion. Sometimes we play on the edge, sometimes we play on the edge of the line. We see players with a lot of passion and that’s important, but we also need calmness.”
And although Frank complained about the way the game ended, there were no such comments from Villa’s camp, who remained happy with their victory. Goalscorer Rodgers praised his team-mates for stopping Spurs’ comeback.
“We wanted to build on the first half. The first half was good, but they did a good job in the second half. They’re a good team and we’re at home in front of their fans, so we had to dig deep, work and defend the box. We did well and I think we deserved the win in the end,” he said.
Parinha made an exception to Watkins’ postgame celebration. (Image: Getty Images)
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Rodgers, 23, has scored eight goals this season. As for how he’s feeling, he added: “I’m really liking it. I’m feeling really good and doing well.”
“I’m positive and confident, but so is the team. That’s the most important thing. As a team and collectively, we’re playing very well at the moment.”
Villa are scheduled to return to action next weekend when they take on Everton at Villa Park. Meanwhile, Spurs will now turn their attention to next Saturday’s home game against struggling West Ham United.
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