Tottenham Hotspur continued their blistering European form with a commanding 4–0 victory over Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
It was a night filled with flair, fight, and a bit of humour — courtesy of manager Thomas Frank’s playful remark about his unlikely goal machine, Micky van de Ven.
Brennan Johnson opened the scoring in the 19th minute after linking up perfectly with Xavi Simons. Six minutes into the second half, Wilson Odobert doubled the advantage from a clever Randal Kolo Muani assist. Despite Johnson’s 55th-minute red card, Spurs never looked threatened and instead turned the night into a showcase of confidence and control.
Then came the moment of magic. In the 64th minute, Micky van de Ven produced a solo run that stunned fans and teammates alike. Starting from the edge of his own box, he drove through midfield, shrugged off tackles, and finished with power to make it 3–0.
Speaking after the game, the Dutchman said, “I saw the gap opening in front of me, and I just kept going. I was telling myself, ‘I need to score this one,’ and luckily, it happened.”
Manager Thomas Frank was left speechless — almost. “It was like we had Lionel Messi turned into Micky van de Ven,” he said, laughing.
“He can keep walking past me…”
“He ran from his own goal to the other end to score. I think he’s our top scorer in all competitions, so he can keep going. He can keep walking past me angry after games if he could deliver like this.”
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To put his remark in context, after Spurs lost 1-0 to Chelsea over the weekend, players Djed Spence and Van de Ven appeared to snub Frank after the full time whistle as they walked past the Danish gaffer who was trying to converse with them.
Both players have since tendered an apology with Frank also saying the team has moved on from the incident.
João Palhinha rounded off the scoring three minutes later, calmly slotting home Tottenham’s fourth. Substitute Richarlison, who replaced Kolo Muani late on, missed a stoppage-time penalty, but it did little to spoil Spurs’ evening.
Van de Ven is Spurs top scorer in all competitions this season with six goals, followed by the trio of Richarlison, Johnson and Palhinha who all have four goals each.
Tags: Richarlison, Thomas Frank, Tottenham, #THFC, João Palhinha, Micky van de Ven, VDV, Brennan Johnson, Randal Kolo Muani, #UCL, #TOTCOP, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons.
