Goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood sent Nottingham Forest back up to third in the Premier League table as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the capital.
Back-to-back defeats coupled with results for their nearest rivals had seen Nuno Espirito Santo’s side drop to sixth prior to kick-off. With the race for Champions League qualification incredibly tight, it set up a huge game in north London.
The Reds got off to the perfect start as they took the lead with just five minutes on the clock. Morgan Gibbs-White won the visitors a corner when he forced Guglielmo Vicario into an early save. Spurs then failed to clear the flag-kick and it fell to Anderson on the edge of the D, with his piledriver flying in via a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur.
Forest thought they had doubled their lead five minutes later but VAR ruled out Wood’s effort for offside. The front man was not to be denied just past the quarter-hour mark, though, as he met an Anthony Elanga cross to make it 2-0.
The visitors had the advantage but they were far from comfortable at the back as their opponents threatened throughout the first half. Matz Sels had to make a big save to deny Wilson Odobert while Mathys Tel and Richarlison both missed decent chances.
Gibbs-White spurned a great opportunity to increase the Reds’ lead shortly after the break but fired off target after being put through by Wood. At the other end, Harry Toffolo thwarted Dejan Kulusevski with an incredible goalline clearance and Sels kept out Richarlison again.
Three minutes from time, however, Richarlison did find the net with a header to set up a tense finale. But Forest hung on to claim all three points. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Matz Sels: Came to his team’s rescue more than once with some superb stops. Save to thwart Richarlison late on was a particular cracker. Looked like it was going to be enough for the Belgian to notch up another clean-sheet, but the Spurs man had other ideas. Rating: 8.5/10
Neco Williams: Kept on his toes by a combination of Djed Spence and Mathys Tel. Had his work cut out but dealt with the challenge well, even if it wasn’t his most comfortable of nights on the right. Rating: 8/10
Nikola Milenkovic: The back line had quite a few nervy moments as the hosts threw plenty at the Reds and put in no end of crosses. Chipped in with a fair few interceptions to try to keep them at bay. Rating: 8/10
Murillo: No sign of the Brazilian being affected by his mistake against Everton. Seemed to have put that firmly behind him. Needed to be on his guard, too, as this one was far from easy. Rating: 8/10
Harry Toffolo: A surprise inclusion in the XI for his first Premier League start of the season and his first appearance since February. Lack of minutes certainly didn’t show when he came to the rescue with an unbelievable second-half clearance off the line. Rating: 8.5/10
Elliot Anderson: Ran the show for much of the evening. Regardless of the deflection, was a terrific strike to open the scoring. A shame Wood’s first effort was chalked off as the midfielder had set it up with a sublime pass. Rating: 9/10
Danilo: Put a big shift in for the best part of an hour. Still looks a little tentative in challenges, which is understandable after his injury, but more than did his bit on a huge night in north London. Rating: 8/10
Nicolas Dominguez: Didn’t stop from the moment the match kicked off right up until he was substituted just before the hour having worked his socks off. Some effort from the Argentine as Forest shrugged off any pressure on their shoulders. Rating: 8.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Had a couple of good chances to get on the scoresheet but hadn’t brought his shooting boots. Denied by Vicario with one in the first half and then couldn’t find the target with another opening after the interval. Rating: 7.5/10
Anthony Elanga: Excellent ball in to set up Wood for Forest’s second. Had used his pace to threaten with a dangerous run just before that, too, so it came as a bit of a surprise to see him substituted at the break. Rating: 8/10
Chris Wood: Back among the goals after a slight lean spell in the Garibaldi. Took it well for his 19th of the campaign, having been a bit unfortunate to see an effort ruled out a few minutes earlier. Rating: 8/10
Subs
Morato (for Elanga, 46mins): Might have done better for Richarlison’s goal as seemed to be caught out in the air. Had been brought on to try to help shore things up in the second half. Rating: 7.5/10
Ryan Yates (for Dominguez, 58mins): Got stuck in almost straight away. Gave his all for the cause as the Reds came under pressure. Rating: 7.5/10
Callum Hudson-Odoi (for Danilo, 58mins): Made some good runs and brought some energy to proceedings. Just couldn’t quite find the final ball this time. Rating: 7.5/10
Taiwo Awoniyi (for Wood, 75mins): A boost for the Reds to have the forward available again after injury. Did well during his time on the pitch. Rating: 7.5/10
Ramon Sosa (for Gibbs-White, 90+3mins): Looked like he was going to create a last-minute opening when he went on a late run. Good burst of energy. Rating: 7.5/10
Subs not used: Miguel, Sangare, Moreno, Abbott.