After the toxic meltdown of Saturday’s defeat at the hands of West Ham, there were very few who descended upon Tottenham’s home expecting to feast upon these heady thrills.
Most had come to issue Thomas Frank his last rites. Not the smelling salts of an exhilarating first-half display of attacking freedom against the second-best team in Germany.
But Spurs finally cut loose, threw caution to the wind. They even dared to a do a little. And they were rewarded with a huge swing of good fortune with a soft red card leaving Borussia Dortmund to play with 10 men for more than an hour and a flukey finish by Dominic Solanke for the second goal.
It may transpire that victory proves too little too late for the beleaguered Dane.
Perhaps his daring act of escapology should have begun before his safety net was removed.
Here though, belatedly, was an occasion for him to savour as Spurs boss and his team are well set for the top eight and a place in the last 16 of the Champions League with only one tie remaining in the league phase, at Eintracht Frankfurt next week.
Cristian Romero (centre) scored the opener for Tottenham in their 2-0 win
Dominic Solanke was fortunate but netted the second of the game for his side
Thomas Frank’s men lifted the gloom around the club with a win against Borussia Dortmund
Based on Ange Postecoglou’s triumph in the Europa League last season, Frank can argue that he deserves the chance to see this campaign through to its end.
Although this will depend on domestic form. Spurs will have to pick up this performance and transplant it into the Premier League, starting at Burnley on Saturday.
In accordance with the post West Ham defeat end-of-days atmosphere, Frank filled in a team sheet featuring his last 11 fit and available senior outfield players.
The pinch point of years of terrible recruitment, lost continuity and poor planning, together on one team sheet, with 13 players unavailable. Some injured and Micky van de Ven suspended but with fit players ineligible including Mathys Tel, who the Spurs boss admitted he would have liked to have started.
It came down to a straight choice between Tel and Dominic Solanke, and he went with the England centre forward who has played a total of 84 minutes this season and has not started a game since May.
Also back in the starting line-up was Destiny Udogie, playing his first football for six weeks, and Xavi Simons, who suffered a heavy knock in the defeat against West Ham on Saturday, when the mood turned toxic inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Frank patched up his team with Djed Spence at left wing back, with freedom to pour forward and leave Udogie to slide over from the left side of the back three and convert to an orthodox back four.
Spence caused all manner of early problems for the visitors and Romero’s opener in the 14th minute came via a corner forced by one of his raids down the left.
Borussia Dortmund’s Daniel Svensson is shown a red card by referee Glenn Nyberg
Tottenham are well set for the top eight and a place in the last 16 in the Champions League
Pedro Porro took it and Serhou Guirassy failed to clear. Wilson Odobert collected the high ball at the second attempt and crossed for Romero to cut a shot low into the net from seven yards.
Irrespective of the formation, it was the urgency and bristling sense of purpose that made this opening spell so distinct from anything else seen recently from Frank’s team, chances from open play galore.
Spurs fizzed with energy. Spence, Simons and Odobert were inspired, demanding the ball and driving forward. There were Ange Ball flashbacks with defenders appearing in the front line, seemingly at random.
Dortmund wobbled as if it was the last thing they had anticipated and fortune favoured the brave.
First, Gugliemlo Vicario escaped a clumsy turn in his own goal area, before the team second in the German Bundesliga suffered a further set back with Daniel Svensson sent off before the half hour.
It was a soft red card. Svensson landed in trouble with a heavy touch, stretched for the ball, toed and caught Odobert as the Spurs winger raced in to try and nick possession. There was no force in the tackle.
If anything, Odobert sprinted into Svensson’s extended leg, but the still image looked worse than it was, as it always does. Referee Glenn Nyberg was sent to his monitor by the VAR and returned to flash a red card at his fellow Swede.
Frank used the numerical advantage to let Spence focus on his forward duties. The second Spurs goal summed up the first half. Odobert made another brilliant dart down the right and Solanke misjudged his low cross.
Pedro Porro embraces Frank at full-time and the beleaguered boss had a much-needed win
Somehow the ball ricocheted from his right foot onto the heel of his left, back onto his right foot and spun across the line via a post. Untidy to say the least but Solanke’s first goal of the season and he did not care about aesthetics.
Two half-time changes by Niko Kovac improved Dortmund and Spurs lost the impetus they had after the restart. Frank, an unobtrusive figure in the first 45 minutes, tried to cajole and bring them back to the boil.
Nerves crept into the occasion. Lucas Bergvall succumbed to injury, replaced by 17-year-old Jun’Ai Byfield making his debut at right wing back with Porro shuffling into midfield.
Spurs had enough and might have scored more in the closing phase, when Randal Kolo Muani was clean through and failed to beat the goalkeeper, but they had enough to win the game. Enough to change the mood. To save the boss? That remains to be seen.
