Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest LIVE: Visitors withstand late barrage to move back into Champions League spots
Tottenham 1-2 Nottingham Forest: Visitors soar back into Champions League spots as they condemn Spurs to a record eighth home loss this season
Nottingham Forest climbed back into the Champions League places with a hard-fought 2-1 win over struggling Tottenham Hotspur, withstanding a late barrage of pressure and an 86th-minute goal to move back up to third.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have been the Premier League’s surprise package in this campaign but have had their chances of a top-five finish imperilled by consecutive league defeats.
But they got their campaign back on track courtesy of an early double, with midfielder Elliot Anderson scoring just his second Premier League goal of the season in the opening five minutes, before Chris Wood ended a seven-game scoring drought with a thumping header 12 minutes later.
And it was back down to earth for Spurs after their Europa League quarter-final heroics against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek.
Richarlison’s header late in the second half denied Forest keeper Matz Sels a 14th clean sheet of the season, but wasn’t enough to improve their standing in the top flight as they sank to a record eighth home loss of the season and remain 16th.
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CLOSE! Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
42 mins: Oh, Spurs.
Odobert curls in another lovely cross and this time Tottenham have two players at the back post, but Richarlison flings himself at it and gets in the way of Sarr, also going for it. They both end up in a heap on the deck and with no goal to show for it.
Now Romero goes into the book for one hefty challenge too many, this one again on the battered and bruised Anderson.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
40 mins: Dominguez drops back to head away a Porro cross, but Tottenham recycle and come again. He misses another but then gets his face in the way of Richarlison trying to volley - effective.
Forest were looking pretty solid defensively but in the last couple of minutes it’s just got a little bit scrappier. Anderson blocks another Porro cross; now Dominguez gets his pass all wrong and Tottenham counter.
Williams makes a mess of a clearance yards out from goal but Tel blasts an attempt over the bar. Ange has his head in his hands.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
36 mins: Dominguez wins the ball and sets up Forest on the counter, laying it off for Elanga. Romero makes a good if slightly feisty challenge to stop him in his tracks.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
35 mins: Subs Maddison and former Forest man Johnson have a natter and seem in good spirits on the sidelines, despite the score. Will Ange bring on the big guns or save them for the Europa League?
Spence darts down the left and fires in a cross, but Milenkovic makes the clearance. Forest have ridden a wave of Spurs pressure and the pace has calmed down a little.
CLOSE! Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
31 mins: Spurs continue to press. Odobert sends in a lightning-quick, sharp-angled cross across the face of goal that narrowly drifts wide, but there was no-one in the box to receive.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
Chris Wood has had a busy start to this game, first with the tap-in that was disallowed, then with the header that stood and completely caught out Vicario.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
26 mins: It was a poor challenge by Romero, who was lucky to avoid a booking, who gave away the free-kick that led to Anderson’s goal and the opening of the floodgates. Now he wins the ball and catches Anderson in the follow-through, which looks a bit painful.
Just before that Williams got away with a testing challenge on Spence, timing it to bring his man down on the edge of the box, but won enough of the ball to avoid an untimely penalty.
Sels makes a comfortable save from Kulusevski.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
23 mins: Tottenham are doing their best to respond. Tel has been a lively presence and curls in a cross. Porro recycles it but Wood clears; Sarr comes again for Spurs but Milenkovic’s big frame is there to hoof away.
Porro and Tel combine again but the teenager’s header ends up on the roof of the net.
Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
20 mins: That one stands, a 19th Premier League goal for Wood this season and first in seven games.
Odobert strikes from the far side of the box - or is that an attempted cross? - but it’s wide.
Sels now dives to punch out another attempt by Odobert. Belt and braces.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-2 Nottingham Forest
17 mins: Forest win a free kick, Murillo plays it down the line to Elanga, who crosses in to Wood and he’s back on the scoresheet!
Romero and Van de Ven give him loads of space and he thumps his header over the outstretched hands of Vicario. Terrible defending.
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