Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool: Cristiano Romero wouldn’t have seen red if referee ‘did his job’ – Thomas Frank

Cristian Romero would not have been sent off in Tottenham‘s 2-1 Premier League loss to Liverpool if referee John Brooks “did his job” properly, says Spurs manager Thomas Frank.

Tottenham were reduced to 10 men in the first half after a VAR intervention when Xavi Simons was dismissed for a foul on Virgil van Dijk.

However, the hosts fought back and reduced the deficit late on through substitute Richarlison.

Despite being a man down, Tottenham were well on top in stoppage time and chasing an equaliser when their captain Romero received a second yellow card for a petulant kick out at Ibrahima Konate.

Romero’s first booking came for dissent in the aftermath of Liverpool‘s second goal, with the Argentine feeling Hugo Ekitike had pushed him in the back as he headed in.

“There is a massive mistake by John [Brooks] on the pitch. Two hands on the back by Ekitike,” said Frank.

“I don’t understand how he didn’t see it. OK. Luckily we have VAR so they will bail you out when you need it, which they didn’t. That was the second mistake.

“I think if you go back to that [second Liverpool goal] and the referee did his job, then I think it would not have been a first yellow [for Romero]. Is that fair to say?

“I have a player that is extremely passionate, and if you have a passionate player then you need to go to the line sometimes.”

In a post on X, the Premier League match centre,, external said: “The referee’s call of goal for Liverpool was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed there was normal contact for an aerial challenge between Ekitike and Romero.”

Spurs can take a number of positives from fighting back with a numerical disadvantage against last term’s champions, however the result leaves Frank’s side 13th in the table.

Tottenham‘s 11 home league defeats in 2025 are also their most in a calendar year – and the fact five of those have come under the Dane, who took over from Ange Postecoglou in the summer, will place further scrutiny over his reign.