Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League preview, team news, stats and head-to-head

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo urged Nottingham Forest to be realistic but said they had to enjoy the moment after Anthony Elanga fired them to third place in the Premier League.

The in-form winger struck for the third time in a row as Forest beat Tottenham to secure a fourth successive win in the top flight for the first time since 1995.

It also gave coach Nuno their first win against Tottenham, whose ex-Forest defender Djed Spence was sent off in added time since he was released by them three years ago.

Nuno only stayed in north London for four months and when he was released in November 2021, his values ​​in England had fallen after a poor end to his four years at Wolves.

However, this win means Forest have more points in half of their games than they did in last season’s successful battle for survival, underlining the rapid progress under Nuno.

“What is important for us is what we felt at the City Ground. It’s nice for us to go to town and enjoy this moment,” said the head coach when asked about his position in the table.

“Faith is there, but faith does not hide reality. The reality is that we haven’t achieved anything yet and we have two days to recover and rest and face Everton. That’s the reality.”

“We believe we can compete as long as everyone understands that every player in the squad is important to us. We think we can keep up well.”

“The fans should enjoy it. Let’s enjoy this together.”

Nuno has put the club in a strong position heading into the January transfer window, but Forest are wary of upsetting the momentum of the squad that has taken them so far this season and keeping the team together could be a bigger problem .

Elanga’s form means he will undoubtedly attract the attention of long-time Newcastle fans again, and the winger’s recent goalscoring streak has ended a ten-month drought.

As for Spurs, they remain relegated after their sixth defeat in ten Premier League games and are 11 points behind Forest and their former manager.

Boss Ange Postecoglou said: “We conceded a disappointing goal but other than that the boys worked hard and we tried to create as many chances as possible given the context of the game and the way Forest are playing. We just couldn’t get over the line.”

Short shouts of “We want Levy out!” echoed from the away side, especially after Elanga’s winner in the 28th minute – a cool low finish after a quick break.

Former Forest favorite Brennan Johnson tested Matz Sels three times but despite dominating the ball – with almost 70% possession – Tottenham squandered a reckless lead and questions about their direction on and off the pitch continue to grow.