Luiz Júnior gifts win to Tottenham as Frank makes perfect elite start

But can he do it in the Champions League? It was one of the grumbles from the Tottenham fanbase when their club appointed Thomas Frank given how his experience of European football extended to little more than a handful of Europa League qualifiers with Brondby more than a decade ago.

- David Hytner

It was a nervy debut for Frank in the big time, his team retreating into their shells after halftime, looking to hold onto the lead they were presented with at the outset by one of the great goalkeeping howlers. It was a moment to haunt Luiz Júnior.

Villarreal pressed onto the front foot and it was a night when the yellow cards fluttered and the referee, Rade Obrenovic, never gave the impression that he was fully in control. Spurs certainly had none of that.

Villarreal advertised the equaliser and there was the moment on 84 minutes when Micky van de Ven barged over Georges Mikautadze on the very edge of the area as the striker ran through. Van de Ven escaped with a yellow card and the Villarreal winger, Nicolas Pépé - a danger throughout - whipped the free-kick inches wide. Spurs got away with it, relief the overriding emotion when it was all over. Frank could simply cherish the points.

Tottenham's appearance in the European Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain had been nice, a spin-off from their famous Europa League triumph over Manchester United at the end of last season but this was the real upside, the tournament that everyone connected to the club wants to contest. It is fundamental on every level; for the finances, for the sporting culture.