HomeSPORTNottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham: Anthony Elanga scores only goal of the game...

Nottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham: Anthony Elanga scores only goal of the game before late Djed Spence red card – as high-flying Reds inflict more misery on Ange Postecoglou’s side


Mist rolled in from the River Trent, just like in Nottingham Forest‘s terrace anthem but the songs that filled the air after a fourth victory in a row were all about scaling the Premier League and returning to Europe.

Nearly 30 years have passed since the last of their famous adventures overseas, but Forest are third after beating Tottenham at the City Ground and starting to dream of digging out their passports and roaming once more under Nuno Espirito Santo.

‘The fans should enjoy and enjoy this together,’ said Nuno after Anthony Elanga‘s first-half goal won it, propelling them into third and beyond last season’s total of 32 points before the turn of the year.

‘The table doesn’t mean anything. What’s beautiful is seeing the City Ground like this. The belief is here. What can I say about the fans? It is really special and now we start to see this bond which makes us stronger.’

Forest look increasingly sure of themselves. Comfortable in a system that suits their best players, happy to play on the break with a nice habit of toppling the big clubs that way.

They won at Liverpool and their latest trick is to condemn Tottenham to a fourth defeat in five Premier League games, a sequence which piles a pressure on Ange Postecoglou.

Anthony Elanga (right) scored the only goal of the game as Nottingham Forest beat Spurs

Anthony Elanga (right) scored the only goal of the game as Nottingham Forest beat Spurs

Elanga produced a cool finish after being played through on goal during the first half

Elanga produced a cool finish after being played through on goal during the first half

Ange Postecoglou's struggling side suffered their ninth Premier League defeat of the season

Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side suffered their ninth Premier League defeat of the season 

MATCH FACTS 

Forest 4-2-3-1: Sels 7.5; Aina 6.5, Milenkovic 7, Murillo 8, Williams 7; Yates 7, Anderson 7.5 (Ward-Prowse 82); Elanga 6.5 (Morata 74, 6), Gibbs-White 7.5 (Jota 83), Hudson-Odoi 6.5 (Sosa 87); Wood 6 (Awoniyi 87).

Subs: Miguel, Awoniyi, Toffolo, Moreno, Boly

Goals: Elanga 28,

Bookings: Yates, Anderson,

Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 7

Spurs 4-3-3: Forster 6; Spence 6.5, Dragusin 6 (Bissouma 87), Gray 6, Udogie 6 (Porro 81); Kulusevski 6.5, Bentancur 6 (Bergvall 64, 6), Sarr 6 (Maddison 64, 6); Johnson 6.5, Solanke 6, Son 5.5 (Werner 81).

Subs: Austin, Reguilon, Bissouma, Lankshear, Olusesi

Bookings: Dragusin, Spence, Maddison,

Manager: Ange Postecoglou 6

Referee: Craig Pawson 6.5

Attendance: 30,200

This one came with hallmarks of those on the road at Crystal Palace and Bournemouth this season, conceding in the first half and failing to conjure a goal against teams set up to defend deep and in numbers.

Spurs are decimated by injuries and picked up another in central defence. Radu Dragusin hurt an ankle and limped off in the 87th minute, leaving Archie Gray and Yves Bissouma in central defence.

Then came a red card for Djed Spence, who picked up a second yellow after cutting down Jota Silva to halt a late counterattack in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Spence will be banned on Sunday against Wolves. Dragusin will join a lengthy casualty list.

‘Obviously disappointing,’ said dejected Postecoglou. ‘It was never going to be a game with a lot of opportunities. Having said that, I still thought we created some good moments and we weren’t able to capitalise on them.

‘The keeper has pulled off some good saves to keep them in the game. We needed a goal to break them open and we didn’t seem to get it.’

Elanga’s goal in the 28th minute summed up the pattern of the game. Spurs dominated the ball. They passed and probed with no space in behind Forest, who were not only difficult to penetrate but also menacingly quick and direct on the turnover.

Neco Williams won the ball from Spence, and Morgan Gibbs-White collected his pass and drove out down the centre of the pitch before slipping a pass to his right, to Elanga who applied a confident finish, his third goal in successive games.

Tottenham rued some early opportunities they squandered. The first to Heung-min Son inside five minutes after a rare mistake by Murillo, who gave the ball to Dejan Kulusevski. Son could not find a way past Matz Sels.

Elanga watched on as his strike found its way into the bottom corner of the Spurs goal

Elanga watched on as his strike found its way into the bottom corner of the Spurs goal

Djed Spence was sent off against the club that he played for before joining Spurs

Djed Spence was sent off against the club that he played for before joining Spurs

Postecoglou's struggling side are currently in the midst of a miserable run of form

Postecoglou’s struggling side are currently in the midst of a miserable run of form 

‘We cannot ignore Matz made huge saves to keep us in the game,’ said Nuno, whose goalkeeper frustrated Brennan Johnson on his latest return to the City Ground, with three excellent saves, the best of them with his right boot from close range, early in second half.

Johnson and Spence combined on the Forest right in the season they won promotion back to the Premier League. Here, in Tottenham colours, they combined again but with little success and Spence was serenaded with a chorus about how he ‘used to play for a big club’ as he trudged down the tunnel after his red card.

Forest were probably even stronger at the back in the second half and no less dangerous on the break. They were close to a second when Fraser Forster pawed a cross to Gibbs-White and made amends with a crucial block in the ensuring scramble.

Postecoglou made changes in search of inspiration, throwing on what creativity he had on the bench but his options are very limited. Nuno responded by taking off Elanga and switching to a back five and Forest closed it out to take the points without too much of a scare.

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