A first-half Dominic Solanke penalty sent Tottenham to a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday and into the semi-finals of the Europa League 2-1 on aggregate. Under fire amid a terrible Premier League campaign and with coach Ange Postecoglou's job hanging by a thread, Spurs put in the type of controlled performance they have lacked this campaign. After Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike and Spurs' Mathys Tel traded first-half chances, home goalkeeper Kaua Santos' nasty collision in the box with James Maddison brought Solanke to the spot. Without a goal since January, Solanke made no mistake, giving Spurs the lead in front of Frankfurt's raucous Nordwestkurve. The win will prove a stay of execution for Postecoglou, keeping alive Spurs' chance of reaching the final in Bilbao along with the coach's oft-maligned guarantee of winning a title in his second season at a club. 

The coach praised centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, calling them "a big part of what we do," and adding "I thought the whole back four were magnificent. Ekitike is a top striker and they kept him quiet. "Our fans have been through a tough time. Hopefully this gives them something to look forward to." The loss ends Frankfurt's hopes of returning to Spain to again lift the Europa League title, having done so three years ago in Seville. Frankfurt captain Robin Koch lamented the "extremely bitter" exit, while sporting director Markus Kroesche complained about the penalty. "You don't need to give that. It's frustrating that we went behind because of that." Despite the defeat, Frankfurt sit third in the league and are on track for their best league finish since the mid-1990s.