Tottenham boss Thomas Frank reveals Micky van de Ven request before match-winning heroics at Everton - 'We worked hard on it'

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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank revealed he had challenged Micky van de Ven to add goals to his game before watching the Dutch defender respond in style with a match-winning brace in a 3-0 victory over Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium. There was VAR controversy but David Moyes admitted Jake O'Brien's first-half header was correctly ruled out for an offside interference on Guglielmo Vicario.

Frank looking to 'add layers' to improve Spurs but accepts it will 'take time'

Video credit: TNT Sports

Thomas Frank revealed he challenged Micky van de Ven to contribute more goals ahead of the defender’s match-winning display in Tottenham Hotspur's 3-0 victory over Everton in the Premier League on Sunday.

Van de Ven scored twice from corners in the first half at Hill Dickinson Stadium as Spurs climbed to third in the table, securing their fourth away league win of the season.

Substitute Pape Matar Sarr sealed the win late on with a well-placed header to condemn Everton to their first defeat at their new stadium.

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While Van de Ven’s main contribution came in helping Spurs keep their fourth league clean sheet of the campaign, his manager revealed he had been tasked with becoming more dangerous in the opposition box.

"I'm very pleased, he's a super important player today," Frank said of Van de Ven to Sky Sports. "He was very good defensively, but from the beginning we said, we need more goals from you!

"We worked hard on it and so did Micky. Now he has three headers with two today. There are still a lot of things I want to improve in the team. We have a clean sheet mentality, and that gives you a lot of points on the road.

"We try to add layers to the team all the time. The back four and the whole team were really good. Set pieces are so crucial. Right now, Arsenal is on track for the title from set pieces. We scored two very good goals and the boys competed excellently in our box.

"The second phase of set pieces was so good. The performance was so much more complete."

Indeed, The Toffees had previously been the only Premier League side not to concede from a corner this season, and Van de Ven told Sky Sports: "It’s crazy, I never score two goals in one game, it’s an unbelievable feeling.

"We saw some great mentality again today. When we play away in the Premier League, we know it is going to be tough, and we showed great character. It was a top all-round performance today."

Should Everton's equaliser have stood?

The Dutchman reacted smartly to Rodrigo Bentancur's header across goal to open the scoring on 19 minutes - somewhat against the run of play - before doubling Spurs' lead on the stroke of half-time. He outmuscled Jordan Pickford to guide another header into the net from Pedro Porro's teasing corner.

Between those goals, Everton thought they had equalised when Jake O'Brien rose at the near post to meet James Garner's corner, but VAR official Stuart Attwell advised referee Craig Pawson to disallow the goal due to an offside inference on Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario by Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye.

Pawson was invited to review the incident on the pitchside monitor, but Everton boss David Moyes accepted the outcome.

"I've seen it and I think it was the right decision," he said. "It wasn't a goal. In the end, it was the right decision. The position Ndiaye took up with the goalkeeper. If it happened to me, I wouldn't be happy."

When asked if he felt there was a foul on Pickford for Van de Ven's second, Moyes added: "I don't think it was a foul, either. We don't need to react in any big fashion. We played a good Tottenham team. They're in the Champions League.

"We've moved from the stadium, the position we were in needed to improve and it's the first defeat since we moved here.

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"We were undone and we're really disappointed as we don't concede a lot from corners and I have to praise Tottenham. Thomas Frank works a lot on it.

"We played well today, had as much of the game as Tottenham and probably as many chances. We got undone with set pieces and that's what happened.

"We need to be more clinical and a bit more creative with how we can make better chances. We had enough opportunities, but couldn't get it in. We can't change the players we've got, so we'll keep practising. The goals will come."

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