Nottingham Forest move to third place after Anthony Elanga goal against Tottenham | Premier League

The fog rolled off the Trent to the point where it was sometimes difficult to see which Spurs player was running down which cul-de-sac in the second half. What is crystal clear, however, is Nottingham Forest’s momentum, which has propelled them to third place in the Premier League after Anthony Elanga’s third goal in consecutive games.

Nuno Espírito Santo, Forest’s former Spurs coach, has organized his team so well that they now have 34 points from 18 games, the same tally they had at this point in 1987/88 when Brian Clough was then manager European Cup was still a recent memory.

No coach in Premier League history (with at least 50 games under his belt) has averaged more than 3.6 goals in his games during Ange Postecoglu’s tenure. But not against Nuno. Forest’s fourth straight Premier League win came without conceding a goal, and only Liverpool and Arsenal have conceded fewer than their 19 goals in the top flight this season.

The focus will be on Tottenham’s continued failings and after Sunday’s 6-3 defeat to Liverpool they have won just twice in nine games. This was their first Boxing Day defeat in 17 games, but after Djed Spence was sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card against his former club, questions will arise again for Postecoglu. That’s another defender missing for Wolves’ next game on Sunday and the Spurs manager needs to find answers soon.

The wealth of backstory made this a fascinating game before kickoff, and soon it was just as exciting on the field. The game was geared towards a battle of styles – and this favored Forest to no end.

Even as Spurs charged and tried to dominate possession, Nuno’s current team appeared ready to do damage on the counterattack. Brennan Johnson, who formed a former Forest right flank with Spence, received a warm welcome at the City Ground when he was brutally knocked down by Elliot Anderson; Forest were clearly ready for battle.

When Elanga scored it did not violate the run of play, although Spurs might have claimed control of the game with their territorial advantage. When a team plays the way he wants, Nuno knows how to control games without the ball.

After a break, Callum Hudson-Odoi came back in from the left and shot just over with his right foot. Who knew he had this in his locker? Then a lightning-fast counterattack culminated in Elanga directing his shot just over the goal.

When the goal came, he demonstrated the precision Forest possesses under pressure, even at high speed. Good pressing in the middle of his own half allowed Morgan Gibbs-White to pick up the ball and push forward in a situation in which he so often thrives. He must be dreaming about it, like a Labrador puppy chasing a tennis ball in his sleep. The Englishman moved across a third of the pitch before delivering the perfect pass just beyond Destiny Udogie, so Elanga didn’t have to break his stride as he opened his body and cut the ball with his left foot just over Fraser Forster and into the farthest corner.

Johnson almost equalized just before half-time when he used an excellent first touch to fend off a pullback from the baseline and his shot from close range required an excellent save from Matz Sels. Spence fired a cross shot over the goal; Son Heung-min’s free kick rained over the side netting, but from the wrong side for Spurs.

With Udogie back at left-back and Rodrigo Bentacur shielding the back four, Spurs’ absences were perhaps less noticeable against weaker opponents. However, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and defenders Ben Davies, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero still out, Postecoglu was given more substance to his argument that new signings will be needed in January.

Previously, Forest could have been two goals ahead, then defensively it was back to five, and with Spurs dominating the ball and territory in the final half hour, the game felt more in limbo.

Forster had passed Elanga’s cross to Gibbs-White, who charged in, so his shot was blocked and the loose ball somehow remained outside the Spurs goal.

Despite their dominance, the closest Spurs came to an equalizer was when Pape Sarr’s cleared shot was sent back into the box where Johnson was able to score a clean touchdown from eight yards out, only for Sels to parry it at his feet.