Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank sought to ease tensions after an awkward post-match moment saw defenders Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence head straight down the tunnel following Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea, ignoring the urging of fans.

The Danish coach attempted to calm supporters frustrated by the loss, as Van de Ven and Spence appeared to bypass Frank’s request to acknowledge the crowd.

“I think that is one of the small issues. We have Micky and Djed who are doing everything they can,” Frank said. “They perform very well so far this season, and everyone is frustrated. We do things in a different way, so I don’t think it is a big problem.”

Frank remained on the pitch, applauding the supporters to a mixed reaction. Tottenham have won just one of five Premier League home games under Frank this season.

“They did everything they could to back us in a game that we didn’t perform well in. Chelsea were better than us,” he added.

Frank also highlighted the need for cohesion in a squad with a largely new front four. “There’s no doubt, and I keep saying it, that we have a front four that is new. We have to build together with short turnarounds in games. We’ll do that. I’m not in doubt that it will happen.”

Spurs’ struggles in the final third have become a recurring issue. They failed to score in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Newcastle, suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth in August, and were held to a goalless draw at Monaco last month.

“I think every team I’ve coached has scored a lot of goals. It will happen again in the future here,” Frank said optimistically.

Despite the challenges, Frank has overseen noticeable progress since last season’s struggles under Ange Postecoglou. Tottenham now have a chance to respond with consecutive home fixtures against Copenhagen in the Champions League and Manchester United in the Premier League.