Nottingham Forest ramped up Tottenham’s relegation fears with a thumping 3-0 win in north London, as pre-match positivity at Spurs turned to angst and anger by full-time.
Spurs had been galvanised by a draw at Liverpool last weekend and a valiant victory over Atletico Madrid amid their Champions League exit in midweek. Fans lined the High Road outside the ground to welcome the team bus with a renewed air of optimism.
By full-time many had already flooded to the exits, booing their team off after another Premier League defeat at home which leaves their prospects bleak. It’s 13 without a win in the top flight – and just two victories in their last 22.
Igor Tudor’s side didn’t muster a shot on target until they were 3-0 down, in what had been billed the biggest game of their season. Perhaps the biggest game of their recent history.
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Morgan Gibbs-White doubles Forest’s lead against Spurs with a finish from inside the penalty area
West Ham’s defeat at Aston Villa means Spurs are still just above the drop zone – by a point – but they have slipped to 17th, leapfrogged by a Forest side who now have a three-point cushion on the Hammers and a spring in their step off the back of Europa League progress. This was Vitor Pereira’s first Premier League win as Forest boss and it was a huge one.
There was cruel irony for Spurs that Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White forced in the second past Guglielmo Vicario – they had chased the No 10 in last summer’s transfer window. It was a huge blow with the game in the balance and the latest example of questionable goalkeeping from Vicario, who was playing ahead of a hernia operation next week.
Taiwo Awoniyi rubbed salt in the wounds with a late finish from close range, which led to a mass exodus and the Spurs fans who had stayed booing their own goalkeeper once again.
Igor Jesus – who had looped the ball against his own back post early on – headed in from a corner against the run of play to give the Forest the lead late in the first half.
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Spurs appeal for a penalty after Romero goes down after a challenge from Williams
Spurs would have been encouraged by their performance up to that point and only a stunning Matz Sels tip onto the bar denied Mathys Tel an instant equaliser. They saw a penalty appeal from Cristiano Romero waved away in the aftermath, following a collision with Neco Williams.
But with Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence off at the break, Spurs made a sluggish start to the second period and the sight of Tel – their best player on the day – limping off soon after Forest’s second added to the despair around the ground.
The hope the Spurs fans had before the game completely contrasted with the empty seats and frustration at full-time – while the Forest faithful partied in the away section. These are two teams who look like they’re heading in different directions.
More to follow…
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
