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.
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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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
17 | +23 | 42 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
18 | +17 | 35 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
18 | +5 | 34 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
18 | +9 | 29 |
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
What the managers said
Nuno Espirito Santo: "The belief is here but the belief doesn't hide the reality. The reality says we haven't achieved nothing yet and we have two days to recover and rest and compete against Everton. This is the reality.
"We believe we can compete as long as everybody understands every player in the squad is huge for us. We believe we can compete well. The fans should enjoy. Let's enjoy this together."
Ange Postecoglou: "It was a disappointing goal we conceded but aside from that, the boys worked hard and we tried to generate as many opportunities as we could considering the context of the game and how Forest play. We just couldn't get over the line."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Forest have won four consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since May 1995, while this victory ended a run of six consecutive league defeats against Spurs.
Spurs lost a Premier League game on Boxing Day for the first time since 2003 (0-2 v Portsmouth), ending their 16-match unbeaten run on 26 December (W12 D4).
Spurs averaged over 65 per cent possession for the seventh time in the Premier League this season (70.4), though they’ve ended up losing five of those games (W1 D1).
Forest’s 29.6 per cent possession was their lowest in a Premier League home game so far this season, while it’s the second time they’ve averaged 30 per cent possession or lower and won in the competition this term (29 per cent v Manchester United).
