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HOW BAD WAS IT: THOMAS FRANK APOLOGIZES FOR PAINFUL DEFEAT TO RIVALS ARSENAL NOW

Thomas Frank and Guglielmo Vicario apologised to Tottenham fans after a "unacceptable" 4-1 derby loss to Arsenal. Both manager and goalkeeper admitted the team lacked fight and intensity in a dismal performance.

How Bad Was It: Thomas Frank Apologizes For Painful Defeat To Rivals Arsenal Now
FRANK SAYS SORRY NOW

After Tottenham's 4-1 loss to Arsenal in the north London derby, manager Thomas Frank and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario said sorry to Spurs fans. They felt the team just didn't show enough fight.

Frank said the game was extremely painful, as Eberechi Eze scored an incredible hat trick. Richarlison's long shot was Tottenham's only real threat.

Vicario didn't blame tactics, even though Frank switched to a defensive formation. He admitted the players simply didn't battle hard enough.

Since Frank took over from Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham has lost to Arsenal and Chelsea. In those games, they struggled to score or create good chances.

It was a bad showing, Frank said. The game went completely against what we wanted. We can only say sorry to the fans. We didn't win enough battles, so the result was exemplified by Arsenal's second and third goals, where one of their players beat two or three of our players.

I've seen this team show a lot of character before, but we didn't win enough battles. Whatever we want to call it, the fact is, we didn't win enough. I tried a 5-4-1 formation, and I take responsibility for that choice. We switched it up at halftime.

“But no matter the formation, we didn't have enough fight or intensity in the important moments, and with Arsenal, it is hard to win. I need to look at the goals more closely. I'm going to have a tough time watching the whole game again tonight. We weren't aggressive when we could have been, and they just played around us.”

Tottenham needs to bounce back when they play Paris Saint-Germain, and Vicario said the team was too passive against Arsenal.

It was a really bad night. We have to apologise to our fans, who support us every day,” Vicario said. “They wanted us to fight, and we didn't. That's never acceptable in football at this level.

Very bad loss, but we have to stick together as we have a big game. We didn’t show what we can do tonight.

Emotions are high, but we need to keep calm and, again, apologise to the fans who travelled here. We waited too long to get into the game. We were too passive.

“The game plan we had didn't work. We didn't fight today, and we have to say sorry for that. But we need to stay united and move forward.

Vicario didn't blame Arsenal's first goal for the loss. He thought the offside Arsenal players blocked his view. The goal was checked by VAR but confirmed, and Vicario said, “I don't think it would have changed the game.

“There were three people in front of me, so of course, they blocked me. But that's not why we lost.

Ex-Tottenham striker Les Ferdinand was really critical of Tottenham's performance, saying they looked weak.

We just didn't compete. Derbies are hostile and fierce. It just wasn't there today,” Ferdinand said on Sky Sports. “They didn't compete at all.

If you're a Spurs fan, you're frustrated. We're talking about playing the league's best team. You want to put up a fight. We just gave up and got rolled over.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

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Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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