Van de Ven back in favour as stunning strike fuels Spurs rout
Tottenham's defender Micky van de Ven has regained the trust of manager Thomas Frank following his remarkable individual effort which highlighted a convincing 4-0 win against Copenhagen in Tuesday's Champions League fixture.
Earlier this week, Van de Ven along with Djed Spence had to offer apologies to Tottenham's head coach Frank after disregarding his request to acknowledge the supporters post their defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
The duo, irritated by jeers from discontented Tottenham supporters amid the Premier League setback, headed directly to the locker room instead of adhering to Frank's directive.
Nevertheless, Van de Ven kept his spot in the initial eleven and reconciled with both his coach and the fans through an exhilarating display.
Covering more than half the field, he unleashed a precise shot that stands out as one of the top strikes in this season's Champions League to date.
At that point, Tottenham already held a two-goal advantage courtesy of efforts from Brennan Johnson and Wilson Odobert right in north London.
Johnson received a red card in the latter period after his reckless tackle on Marcos Lopez was escalated from a caution to dismissal following a VAR review.
Joao Palhinha added the final goal, securing Tottenham's second victory in their previous six outings across all tournaments.
Under Frank, the team maintains an unbeaten record in the current Champions League campaign with two triumphs and two stalemates before facing defending champions Paris Saint-Germain later in November.
In the Chelsea clash, Tottenham managed just a single effort on target, suffering another lacklustre home loss in 2025.
This underwhelming showing sparked worries over Frank's straightforward approach, differing sharply from the club's motto of 'to dare is to do'.
Yet, this performance embodied the bold attacking style that Tottenham supporters crave, even if their initial home success since September 24 arrived versus modest opposition.
Frank's squad received an early advantage in the 19th minute.
Slick Spurs
Xavi Simons' sharp long ball propelled Johnson towards the target, causing goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski to hastily abandon his position.
Kotarski botched the effort to halt Johnson's advance entirely, allowing the Welsh forward to composedly place the ball into the unguarded goal from a tight angle, marking his first score in nine games.
Randal Kolo Muani missed a chance to extend Tottenham's lead, firing astray from close proximity before nodding over from Simons' delivery.
However, Kolo Muani's misses did not prove costly as Tottenham netted again in the 51st minute.
Once more, Kotarski bore responsibility, charging out imprudently and directing a hurried clearance directly into Kolo Muani.
The ball sailed above Kotarski, and Kolo Muani passed it to Odobert, who finished from near the line.
Johnson was ejected in the 55th minute for a clumsy foul on Lopez, a rash move that started as a yellow from referee Erik Lambrechts until VAR prompted his exit to the bench.
Despite being a man down, Tottenham outplayed Copenhagen with ease, and Van de Ven sealed his redemption in the 64th minute.
Progressing from deep in his territory, the Dutch defender navigated past Copenhagen's backline, dodging two challenges prior to drilling a crisp low drive under Kotarski from within the box.
Van de Ven playfully gestured to the audience before colleagues deliberately congratulated him, demonstrating unity after the recent disagreement.
Palhinha coolly slotted beyond Kotarski from six yards in the 67th minute.
Richarlison missed a chance for a fifth, striking a late penalty onto the crossbar following a foul on Dane Scarlett by Viktor Claesson.