Nottingham Forest returned to third place in the Premier League following a hard-earned 2-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

First-half goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood were enough to get Nuno Espirito Santo’s side back to winning ways, following two consecutive defeats, despite the hosts dominating for large periods at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Anderson’s deflected strike opened the scoring, while Wood’s 19th league goal of the season doubled Forest’s lead in the 16th minute.

Spurs made their second-half dominance count, with Richarlison halving the deficit three minutes from time, but it proved too late as they suffered a fourth defeat in five league games.

Forest leapfrog Newcastle United, Manchester City and Chelsea to boost their own UEFA Champions League qualification hopes, while Ange Postecoglou’s side remain 16th.

How the match unfolded

The visitors scored first after just five minutes when Spurs failed to deal with a corner, and Anderson drilled through a crowded penalty area and beyond Guglielmo Vicario, via a slight Rodrigo Bentancur deflection.

Anderson thought he had turned provider for Wood in the 10th minute, but his close-range finished was ruled out for offside following a VAR review. However, Wood was not to be denied seven minutes later, as he beat Vicario in the air to nod home Anthony Elanga's cross.

Spurs responded well and should have reduced their arrears when Mathys Tel sliced a shot wide, while Richarlison also failed to hit the target with a close-range header from Wilson Odobert's delivery.

Despite Morgan Gibbs-White drilling a shot narrowly wide, the hosts continued to demonstrate the stronger attacking threat in the second half.

Dejan Kulusevski saw a header acrobatically cleared off the line by Harry Toffolo, while Matz Sels brilliantly thwarted Richarlison's header.

Richarlison did offer Spurs hope when he nodded in Pedro Porro's deep cross, but it was not enough to avert an 18th league defeat of the season.

Dominant Spurs come up short

Fresh from securing their UEFA Europa League semi-final place with a battling victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, Spurs looked to get their Premier League form back on track.

However, they were ultimately caught out by two set-pieces. First, the hosts failed to deal with the corner that led to Anderson’s goal, while they switched off for the free-kick that allowed Elanga space to cross for Wood’s header.

The omens did not look good thereon for Spurs, who have now failed to win any of their last 12 Premier League matches when conceding first.

Not since against Arsenal in November 2010 have they won a match in the division when trailing by two or more goals at half-time, but it was not for a lack of trying on Monday.

It was mainly strong goalkeeping and defending that largely kept them at bay, until Richarlison’s moment of quality came just a little too late.

Spurs must quickly dust themselves down. Postecoglou’s team turn their attention towards spoiling Liverpool’s potential title-winning party at Anfield on Sunday, before their crucial Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt grasps their full focus.

Forest back to winning ways

Having endured a minor reality check in recent weeks, Forest were aiming to avoid suffering three successive Premier League defeats for the first time in over a year while, more importantly, vying to get their Champions League quest back on track.

The visitors made a purposeful start on Nuno’s latest return to the club where he spent just four months in charge during the 2021/22 season.

Forest had scored first in a league-high 24 games this season, and Gibbs-White sounded a warning with a fierce attempt from distance after four minutes.

They were ahead within a minute thanks to Anderson’s strike, with Wood’s authoritative header giving them breathing space.

Their credentials at the other end of the pitch were then frequently tested over the remainder of the contest, and Nuno sacrificed Elanga for defender Morato at half-time in a bid to weather the storm.

It largely worked until Richarlison’s well-placed header late on, but the visitors continued to dig deep for what could be a crucial three points towards their European ambitions.

Interestingly, Chelsea on the final day provide their only top-half opposition for the remainder of the season. Attention briefly switches this weekend to their eagerly anticipated FA Cup semi-final showdown with Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

Club reports

Spurs report | Forest report 

What the managers said

Ange Postecoglou: "It's disappointing. Another disappointing loss. A loss that for large parts was self-inflicted. We conceded two poor goals and gave ourselves a mountain to climb. I still think we didn't deserve to lose on the balance of play."

Nuno Espirito Santo: "I think it was a big improvement. I think we reacted well from the previous game. There was a clear intention to bounce back and the boys did well.

"We have a clear way to play and find ourselves in our identity. We controlled the game really well in the first half. We had goals, but also Tottenham created chances in the second half and we had to hold on to what we had."

Match officials

Referee: Peter Bankes. Assistants: Marc Perry, Nick Greenhalgh. Fourth official: Tony Harrington. VAR: John Brooks. Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan.