Tottenham 'lacked energy and intensity' during Chelsea defeat, Frank concedes

Thomas Frank conceded Tottenham "lacked energy and intensity" and were "second-best" during their defeat by Chelsea.

Spurs missed the chance to go second in the Premier League after they were beaten 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Joao Pedro's first-half strike was enough to put the game beyond Tottenham, who were severely lacking an attacking threat throughout the contest.

Frank's side registered just a single shot on target over the 90 minutes, with an expected goals (xG) of just 0.05, their lowest on record in a Premier League game, with this their 504th game in the competition since the start of 2012-13.

"I think we were second-best today," the Spurs boss said. "Chelsea were better than us, no doubt about that. I saw a lot of effort from the players, but not a good performance.

"We lacked the energy and intensity to put into a game like this. We go 1-0 down, and then we're chasing the game.

"I think we made so many simple passing mistakes and lost the ball too many times. It can be down to freshness and many other things."

Tottenham have now lost three consecutive Premier League London derbies on home soil for the first time since April 2004.

Spurs have also lost each of their last five games against Chelsea, but Frank has urged his side to respond when they host Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday.

"There will always be positives, but at the moment, I'm struggling to see it," he added. "We need to get things freshened up and make sure the team is ready for Tuesday night."