Thomas Frank slams Aston Villa star after mass FA Cup brawl and Tottenham flashpoint

A mass brawl erupted after Aston Villa's FA Cup victory vs Tottenham, with the Midlands side progressing to the next round after their 2-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has criticised Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins for sparking a heated confrontation following the two clubs' FA Cup encounter. The Premier League sides met in the third round of the competition on Saturday evening.

Villa claimed a 2-1 triumph, with Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers finding the net to secure progression, despite Wilson Odobert's second-half effort. However, the excitement continued beyond the final whistle.

Spurs midfielder Joao Palhinha seemed to take umbrage with Watkins' post-match celebrations, and responded furiously to the Villa forward. Multiple players subsequently became embroiled in the incident.

Spurs manager Frank has now pointed the finger at the England international for his part in the altercation.

During his post-match media briefing, the Dane said: "It's about keeping a cool head, the players gave everything. Losing a tight game, season not going perfectly and Ollie is very provoking.

"He can easily just walk around. Everyone who has been in a competitive nature, that can trigger things."

When questioned whether his squad needed to avoid being provoked, he said: "You need to play with passion, sometimes you play to the line and sometimes borderline.

"I see players with big passion and that is important, but we also need cool heads."

While Frank voiced his grievances following the match's conclusion, there were no similar remarks from the Villa contingent, who celebrated their progression with satisfaction. Goalscorer Rogers commended his colleagues for the manner in which they repelled Spurs' fightback.

Rogers said: "We wanted to build on the first half, we were good in the first half, but they came out well in the second half. They're a good team, they're at home in front of their fans, and we had to dig deep, we had to work and defend our box.

"We did well and I think we deserved the win in the end."

Rogers, 23, now has eight goals to his name this term. On his form, he added: "I'm loving it. I'm feeling really good and I'm in a good bit of form.

"I'm feeling positive and confident - but so are the team - and that's the most important thing. As a team, and as a collective, we're playing really well at the moment."

Villa will be back in action next weekend as they take on Everton at Villa Park. Spurs in the meantime will turn their attention to a home game against struggling West Ham United next Saturday.