FA Cup: Tottenham Hotspur 1 Aston Villa 2There were echoes of a glorious past all around the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Saturday evening, but the present day Spurs are an unhappy bunch, and no-one knows what the future will bring, particularly for Thomas Frank. The fact that Tottenham's players put up a fight after the break, pulled one goal back and went close to equalising eased the immediate pressure on Frank. Frank still has support at board level, but that will wane if Tottenham falter in the next four games. And Tottenham commemorated the 125th anniversary of their 1901 FA Cup final victory, the only time a non-league team win the trophy. Player-manager John Cameron, who scored in the replay of their final win over Sheffield United, was the second manager in the club's history, and they only changed twice more in the ensuing 25 years.

Source: Irish Examiner January 12, 2026 10:20 UTC