TOTTENHAM 2\u20130 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Romero and Solanke strike as Spurs ease pressure on Thomas Frank<\/p>\n
Love them or loathe them, Tottenham\u2019s European form at home is impossible to ignore. Spurs are now unbeaten in 24 continental matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium \u2014 a remarkable run by any standard.<\/p>\n
It is a statistic that deserves recognition, especially given how turbulent parts of Thomas Frank\u2019s first season have been. Despite domestic inconsistencies, Spurs have largely delivered in the Champions League so far.<\/p>\n
They have suffered just one defeat, picking up four wins and two draws, and this energetic, aggressive performance felt like a genuine platform to build on.<\/p>\n
If Tottenham can repeat last season\u2019s trick of beating Eintracht Frankfurt away from home, they could yet push into the top eight and skip the play-off round altogether.<\/p>\n
However, this hard-fought win over a 10-man Borussia Dortmund now needs backing up domestically, with a tricky trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley on Saturday.<\/p>\n
For now, here are five key talking points from Spurs\u2019 long-awaited return to winning ways in their penultimate group-stage fixture.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
Solanke the game-changer<\/p>\n
Dominic Solanke made his first start since May, when Spurs were thrashed 4\u20131 by Brighton on the final day of last season.<\/p>\n
After a gruelling recovery from an ankle injury, this night would have felt like vindication for the striker. Solanke grabbed Tottenham\u2019s second goal and appeared to celebrate by revealing that his partner is expecting \u2014 a rare, emotional moment in N17 this season.<\/p>\n
There has been little to celebrate at home, but Solanke reminded everyone of his value. His strength, pressing, aerial threat and hold-up play have been badly missed.<\/p>\n
Frank has faced heavy criticism, but the absence of his first-choice striker since August offers some context. If Solanke can stay fit, Spurs \u2014 and potentially England \u2014 stand to benefit, with a backup role to Harry Kane still very much up for grabs.<\/p>\n
Romero sets the tone<\/p>\n
Cristian Romero does not always lead vocally despite wearing the armband, but the importance of this occasion clearly demanded it.<\/p>\n
The Argentine was animated before kick-off, rallying his team-mates \u2014 and the response was immediate. Spurs burst out of the blocks and were rewarded when Romero opened the scoring inside 14 minutes.<\/p>\n
He was aggressive, composed and inspirational throughout, leading by example and imposing himself on the contest. His goal, cleverly taken, made it two in two games for the centre-back and underlined his influence.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Porro ignites the crowd<\/p>\n
When referee Glenn Nyberg dismissed Daniel Svensson, Pedro Porro\u2019s reaction said it all.<\/p>\n
The Spaniard sprinted towards the touchline, pumping his arms and urging the crowd to raise the volume. The stadium was already lively, but this felt different \u2014 Tottenham sensed opportunity.<\/p>\n
Such moments have been rare this season. Only months ago, Porro felt compelled to address supporters on social media after the home defeat to Fulham.<\/p>\n
The relationship between players and fans has fluctuated, but on this night there was genuine unity. Spurs visibly fed off the noise and energy from the stands \u2014 something that must become the norm rather than the exception.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Bergvall\u2019s injury concern<\/p>\n
It was unclear exactly when Lucas Bergvall picked up his injury, but what was obvious was that he stayed on the pitch for far too long.<\/p>\n
The issue appeared to begin after a knee clash with Emre Can. Initially he seemed fine, but soon after he went down and required treatment to his lower leg.<\/p>\n
Despite trying to carry on, Bergvall was clearly struggling, wincing with every movement. Eventually, Jun\u2019ai Byfield was introduced for his Spurs debut, drawing a warm response from the crowd.<\/p>\n
The worry is that Bergvall\u2019s season has been repeatedly disrupted by injuries, and this latest setback only adds to Spurs\u2019 growing fitness concerns.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dependable Danso delivers again<\/p>\n
Kevin Danso continues to prove his worth whenever called upon.<\/p>\n
As a so-called \u201cthird-choice\u201d centre-back, his professionalism has been exemplary. He rarely complains, stays ready, and consistently performs when stepping in for Romero or Micky van de Ven.<\/p>\n
Against Dortmund, he was outstanding \u2014 producing a rugged, committed display packed with five recoveries and five clearances. He also played a key role in guiding young Jun\u2019ai Byfield through his debut.<\/p>\n
Players like Danso are invaluable during difficult periods, and his contribution deserves serious praise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TOTTENHAM 2\u20130 BORUSSIA DORTMUND: Romero and Solanke strike as Spurs ease pressure on Thomas Frank Love them or loathe them, Tottenham\u2019s European form at home is impossible to ignore. Spurs are now unbeaten in 24 continental matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium \u2014 a remarkable run by any standard. It is a statistic that deserves …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":57668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57667","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/0_GettyImages-2256748462.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=57667"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57669,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57667\/revisions\/57669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/57668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=57667"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=57667"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=57667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}