Overview
- Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 in north London to knock Spurs out of the FA Cup third round, extending a poor run that has left the team 14th in the Premier League.
- Multiple outlets report the Tottenham hierarchy is divided over Thomas Frank’s future, with bookmakers shortening odds on his departure and coverage framing West Ham and Borussia Dortmund as key tests.
- Thomas Frank said Ollie Watkins provoked João Palhinha during Villa’s post‑match celebrations, which preceded a brief melee involving players and staff from both sides.
- Richarlison was forced off with a hamstring issue, and Frank cited the congested schedule—five games in 13 days—as a factor contributing to injuries across the squad.
- Tottenham’s availability problems persist, with Mohammed Kudus out until after the March break, Rodrigo Bentancur facing an unspecified hamstring layoff, Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie targeting returns this month, and Dominic Solanke making a late comeback against Villa.