Nottm Forest 1-0 Tottenham (December 26, 2024) Match analysis

Nottingham Forest continued their fight for a place in the Premier League’s top four as Anthony Elanga’s first-half goal secured a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and secured them third place on Thursday.

Elanga completed a superb Forest counter-attack in the 28th minute, ending a battle which Tottenham ended with 10 men after former Forest player Djed Spence was sent off.

The result left Forest temporarily in third place with 34 points, while Tottenham ended up in 11th with 23 points after 18 games after their fourth defeat in five Premier League games.

Tottenham had prevailed in the opening stages when former Forest winger Brennan Johnson went close for the visitors, but the hosts struck devastatingly.

When Tottenham lost possession on the edge of the Forest area, the ball was played to Morgan Gibbs-White, who split the visiting defense with an excellent pass and Elanga beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster with a deft finish.

Ritchie Sumpter/Nottingham Forest FC via Getty Images

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It was enough for Forest to win their third successive top flight game for the first time since 1995 and was particularly nice for coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who was sacked by Tottenham three years ago.

Forest have more points than they did all of last season, when they were flirting with relegation.

Tottenham are 11 points behind Forest and the pressure on coach Ange Postecoglou is sure to increase.

His team had chances before the break when Matz Sels Johnson saved twice and Son Heung-min hit the side netting with a free kick just before the break.

However, Tottenham were toothless after the break and their frustration culminated when Spence received a second yellow card late in stoppage time.