Anthony Elanga scored for the third Premier League match in a row to move Nottingham Forest up to third as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the City Ground.

Elanga, who had scored in wins over Aston Villa and Brentford, put the hosts into a 28th-minute lead after being brilliantly picked out by Morgan Gibbs-White, before prodding the ball home.

Spurs rarely threatened Matz Sels throughout the contest, with the returning Brennan Johnson unable to find a way past the Forest goalkeeper with his three efforts on target.

It was also an unhappy return for former Forest defender Djed Spence, who was given a second yellow card late on to hand Ange Postecoglou another defensive issue, having seen Radu Dragusin go off injured moments earlier.

The win lifts Forest above Arsenal and into third ahead of the Gunners’ home encounter with Ipswich Town on Friday, while Spurs stay in 11th, 10 points off the top four.

How the match unfolded

Son Heung-min was the first to test Sels in the opening exchanges following Murillo’s poor giveaway, before Callum Hudson-Odoi curled over after a quick Forest counter-attack.

But the hosts would get themselves in front soon after when Gibbs-White’s pass in behind was poked home by Elanga.

Johnson then saw his effort tipped over the bar by Sels shortly before the break after Dejan Kulusevski had done brilliantly to pick out the Welshman in the Forest box.

Johnson continued to threaten after the break, brilliantly touching the ball beyond Murillo but was again met by Sels, with Elanga going close to doubling his tally but miscuing his effort.

Fraser Forster then denied Gibbs-White from close range after parrying Elliot Anderson’s cross away, before Spence was handed his marching orders in second-half stoppage time for a mistimed tackle on Jota Silva.

Forest advance on Europe

Nuno Espirito Santo continues to play down Forest’s chances of reaching European football next season, but he is building something special at the City Ground this campaign, something he was unable to do during his short tenure with Spurs three years ago.

After a slow start, which saw Ryan Yates booked for a foul on Son, meaning he will miss Forest’s trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday, they eventually found their groove when Elanga tucked home his third Premier League goal in as many matches in the competition.

Forest continued to impress at both ends of the pitch, with Sels producing some important stops to deny Johnson, as Forster tipped away Anderson’s cross into the box before springing back to his feet to save from Gibbs-White.

Though Spurs dominated possession, they were unable to carve out any meaningful chances, though Forest could have doubled their advantage late on when substitute Taiwo Awoniyi fired into the side-netting from a tight angle, despite having better options around him.

Forest will be hoping to continue their impressive form but face a tough test against Everton at Goodison Park this Sunday, with the Toffees having held Manchester City 1-1 on Boxing Day.

Spurs’ defensive woes continue

Following their defeat against Liverpool last time out, Postecoglou believed he was being unfairly judged given his side’s long list of injuries, but his position will only be put further under the microscope after falling to defeat here.

Spurs remain without Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, but started strong at the City Ground when Son tested Sels before Johnson stung the palms of the Forest goalkeeper moments later.

But Elanga’s opener seemingly clicked Forest’s slick football into gear, though Johnson was again thwarted by Sels before Son closed out the first half by sending a free-kick into the side-netting, and that effort was arguably the closest Spurs came to getting themselves level.

James Maddison was introduced from the bench but was unable to find the target, and amid Spurs’ pressure, they were unable to penetrate Forest's goal. A frustrating afternoon in the east Midlands was further compounded with Dragusin going off injured and Spence’s dismissal.

Postecoglou will have to do plenty of thinking on how to solve Spurs’ defensive issues ahead of facing Wolverhampton Wanderers at home on Sunday.

Club reports

Spurs report

What the managers said

Ange Postecoglou: "A lot of these guys are playing every three days. They are trying."

Match officials

Referee: Craig Pawson. Assistants: Simon Bennett, Dan Robathan. Fourth official: Dean Whitestone. VAR: Michael Salisbury. Assistant VAR: Akil Howson.