Two early goals, and a typically resilient defensive display were at the heart of Nottingham Forest’s 2-1 win away at Tottenham Hotspur. The three points leapfrogged Forest into third place on 60, with Aston Villa in seventh just three behind. Newcastle (59), Manchester City (58) and Chelsea (57) are the other teams locked in a five-way tussle for the three Champions League berths behind champions-elect Liverpool (79) and Arsenal (66).
Forest have scaled such heights while having less than 40 per cent possession across their league games this season. It was no different at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the hosts enjoying 70 per cent of the ball. Forest had three shots on target and scored with two of them. But despite Spurs scoring through Richarlison in the 87th minute to set up a tense finale, Forest were good value for the points with another disciplined and tenacious performance.
Elliot Anderson, who arrived from Newcastle United last summer, gave them the lead in the fifth minute. A corner was cleared only as far as the edge of the penalty box and Anderson crashed home a powerful shot that took a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur on its way past Guglielmo Vicario in the Spurs goal.
Chris Wood, the New Zealander whose hold-up play as centre forward has been such a feature of Forest’s game, then had a goal ruled out for off side, but moments later, there was no reprieve for Spurs as he glanced in a header from a superb Anthony Elanga cross. Vicario came for the ball and got nowhere near it.
Ange Postecoglou rested several Spurs starters, with the focus now on trying to win the Europa League – they play Norway’s Bodo-Glimt in the last four – and Spurs huffed and puffed with little joy. This was their 18th loss of the season, and only the three teams in the relegation spots have been beaten more. Even Europa League success may not save Postecoglou.
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