Tottenham beat 10-man Dortmund to close in on last-16 spot

LONDON, Jan 20 : Tottenham Hotspur shrugged off their domestic gloom with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund that took the heat off head coach Thomas Frank and put them within touching distance of the Champions League knockout stages on Tuesday.

First-half goals by captain Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke gave Tottenham control against a desperately disappointing Dortmund side who played three-quarters of the match with 10 men after Daniel Svensson's red card.

Tottenham have won twice in 11 Premier League matches at home this season - a run that has left Frank fighting for his job. But in the Champions League they have been impeccable in north London, winning four out of four without conceding.

The latest one lifted them into fourth place ahead of Wednesday's games, meaning a win at Eintracht Frankfurt next week would seal a top-eight spot and progression to the last 16.

Dortmund, who began the night level on 11 points with Tottenham, face Inter Milan in their last game and are now likely to have to take their chances in the playoffs.

"It will be very tough," Dortmund captain Emre Can said. "I hope it will be better than today."

TOXIC MOOD

When Tottenham suffered a last-gasp defeat by West Ham United at the weekend the mood turned toxic with home fans chanting 'sacked in the morning' at Frank.

Speculation was rife that the Dane would not even be in charge for the visit of Dortmund.

He came out fighting in his pre-match press conference though and despite having only 11 senior outfield players available, his team responded against the Bundesliga side.

Such was the ease with which Tottenham brushed aside Dortmund, Frank may well wish he could face European opposition every week, rather than the likes of Bournemouth, Fulham and