Tottenham coach Thomas Frank praises fans as win over Dortmund shores up his position

LONDON (AP) - Another Champions League win could give Tottenham coach Thomas Frank some breathing space, even as his team struggles in the Premier League.

Three days after Tottenham supporters jeered him in a 2-1 loss to West Ham, Frank thanked the Tottenham fans for their support in Tuesday's 2-0 win over 10-man Borussia Dortmund.

"Especially in the first half, you felt it could be a special European night. The fans were absolutely great and they were really behind the team, so really happy with that," he told broadcaster TNT.

"It was a fantastic feeling standing out there, the atmosphere and the energy and how it transmitted to the players, so that was special."

The win means that since the start of November, Tottenham has won five games - three of them in the Champions League.

Beating Dortmund left Frank's team fourth in the Champions League table, with a strong shot at booking a direct spot in the round of 16. It's only 14th in the Premier League.

Overperforming in Europe and underperforming in the Premier League is a familiar story for Spurs. Frank's predecessor Ange Postecoglou was fired despite winning the Europa League but placing just 17th in England.

An injury-depleted squad meant it was a Tottenham team unlike any other in Frank's tenure. Dominic Solanke scored in his first start of the season following ankle surgery in September and 17-year-old defender Jun'Ai Byfield came off the bench for his first-team debut when Lucas Bergvall limped off.

After three straight losses for Tottenham and a glaring error - drinking coffee from a cup bearing the emblem of hated rival Arsenal - Frank wants this victory to start a turnaround.

"We need to bring this win and this performance into momentum," Frank said.

Tottenham has the chance to build some momentum against Burnley, the Premier League's 19th-place team, and then ends the league stage of the Champions League next week against Eintracht Frankfurt, which fired its coach Sunday.

Get through those and February is crunch time, with four tough opponents back to back - Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle and Arsenal.