Nottingham Forest climbed to third place in the Premier League and significantly boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification with an impressive 2-1 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night.
Forest, who started the match in sixth place, produced a determined and clinically effective performance. They stunned the hosts by taking the lead inside five minutes when Elliot Anderson’s powerful volley took a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur and flew past Guglielmo Vicario.
The visitors doubled their advantage in the 16th minute. Anthony Elanga delivered a cross, and striker Chris Wood expertly directed a header into the net for his 19th Premier League goal of a remarkable season.
Tottenham, despite their recent progression to the Europa League semi-finals, struggled to replicate that form and saw plenty of possession but lacked a cutting edge for large parts of the game. Mathys Tel missed a good chance towards the end of the first half, and Richarlison headed over from close range.
Spurs improved in the second half, but Forest defended resolutely. Dejan Kulusevski’s effort was acrobatically cleared off the line by Harry Toffolo, and goalkeeper Matz Sels made an excellent save to deny a fierce Richarlison header in the 80th minute.
Richarlison finally gave the home fans something to cheer when he headed home in the 87th minute to reduce the deficit. However, Forest held firm through stoppage time to secure a vital three points, greeted by boos from some sections of the home support at the final whistle.
The win moves Nottingham Forest up to third in the standings with 60 points, firmly in contention for a top-five finish and a Champions League spot. For Tottenham, it was their 18th league defeat of a disappointing domestic campaign – their worst tally since 2003-04. They remain 16th on 37 points, with their main focus now likely on their upcoming Europa League semi-final against Bodø/Glimt.
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