Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest Report

Scorers: Richarlison 87’; Anderson 5’, Wood 16’

Nottingham Forest delivered a commanding performance in North London to defeat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and reclaim third spot in the Premier League table. Early goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood stunned the hosts, and despite a late Richarlison header, Forest held on to secure a vital win. The result all but ends Spurs’ hopes of a top-half finish, while Forest’s Champions League ambitions remain firmly alive.

Forest take charge early to reclaim third place

Nottingham Forest cemented their top-four credentials with a spirited 2-1 win away at Tottenham Hotspur, stretching their remarkable unbeaten run on Easter Monday Premier League fixtures to 17 games (W14, D3). Despite the looming distraction of their UEFA Europa League semi-final berth, Forest showed no signs of complacency and started the brighter of the two teams.

The visitors struck early through Elliot Anderson, who pounced on a poor clearance from Pedro Porro and fired home from range, aided by a significant deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur that wrong-footed Guglielmo Vicario.

Just ten minutes later, Forest thought they’d doubled their lead when Chris Wood latched onto Anderson’s ball and poked home, only for VAR to rule him narrowly offside. The striker didn’t have to wait long to make amends, however, as he rose highest to nod in Anthony Elanga’s cross and deservedly put Forest 2-0 up.

Spurs fail to respond in time

Tottenham’s attacking efforts in the first half were limited to flashes of promise. Mathys Tel and Richarlison both had decent chances as the interval approached, but wasteful finishing ensured the deficit remained intact. Ange Postecoglou reacted by making two changes at the break, withdrawing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero for Ben Davies and Kevin Danso in a bid to shore things up.

Despite the changes, the second half began with Forest looking more likely to add to their lead. Morgan Gibbs-White went close to sealing the game before the hour mark but fired wide under pressure. As time ticked away, the urgency increased from the home side, with Dejan Kulusevski coming closest to scoring with a header that was dramatically cleared off the line by Harry Toffolo in mid-air.

Richarlison eventually gave Spurs a glimmer of hope with a powerful header four minutes from time, but it was too late to salvage a result, with goalkeeper Sels having already denied him twice earlier in the half.

European dreams alive for Forest, Spurs spiral continues

Forest were good value for their win and have now completed a league double over Tottenham for the first time since the 1996/97 season. The three points return them to third place and keep their UEFA Champions League hopes burning brightly, thirty years after their last top-three finish in the top flight.

In stark contrast, Tottenham’s dismal run against top-half sides (L17 of last 21 such fixtures) continues, and a bottom-half finish now appears increasingly inevitable – something they haven’t experienced since the 2007/08 campaign.

Stat of the Match
Tottenham have now lost 17 of their last 21 Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the top half of the table.

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Spurs v Nott’m Forest, 2024/25 | Premier League