Tottenham slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham at home on Saturday night, with Guglielmo Vicario’s first-half error dominating the aftermath and prompting boos from sections of the crowd.
Head coach Thomas Frank defended his goalkeeper and criticised those supporters who jeered during the Premier League match.
Fulham scored twice inside six minutes to hand Spurs a tenth home league loss of the year. Kenny Tete struck early before Harry Wilson added a second following a loose moment from Vicario, who miscontrolled a long ball near the touchline and lost possession under pressure from the Fulham winger.
Wilson eventually curled into an unguarded net from 36.6 metres after receiving the return pass from Josh King.
Reaction inside the stadium was uneasy. Vicario was booed moments after the goal when he next received the ball, and the team were met with further disapproval at half-time and full-time.
Frank later expressed frustration at that response, saying criticism during play undermined the squad.
He said: “I heard some of our fans apparently booed the incident and booed after, which, in my opinion is completely unacceptable.
“[They] can’t be true Tottenham fans that do that. Fair enough booing after the game, no problem, but when we are playing, we are supporting each other, we are behind each other going forward.”
Vicario response
The Italy international is now in his third season at the club. He accepted responsibility when speaking to Sky Sports, describing the error as an attempt to clear long that he mishit.
“The second goal was a mistake of mine, I take responsibility for that,” he said.
“The intent was to clear the ball long and I just hit the ball in a bad way. It was an even bigger mountain to climb.”
He said being booed “is part of football”.
“I’m a big man, what can I say?” he continued. “We cannot be influenced by the situation in the stands. The fans have the right to do what they think.
“It’s on us to stay more calm, to focus on ourselves. We are lacking in composure and calmness to overturn results. Today is a bad defeat and it’s tough to accept.”
Mohammed Kudus pulled one back after the interval, though Spurs could not find an equaliser.
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