Spurs deep in mire after Forest power to vital win
Nottingham Forest's Igor Jesus after the final whistle in the win over Tottenham Hotspur. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA WireÂ
SPURS supporters turned up in their thousands to line the streets before kickoff in this vital relegation battle, but their players failed to show up and duly suffered another humiliating and damaging defeat.
Goals from Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi gave Nottingham Forest a morale-boosting 3-0 win and took them above Tottenham, who have still not won in the Premier League this year.
And if West Ham had won rather than lost to Aston Villa at the same time, Spurs would now be in the relegation zone. As it is, they are just one point ahead of the Hammers and it looks like a straight shoot-out between the two London sides for the Premier League's third relegation place alongside Wolves and Burnley.
What had started with bright optimism from Spurs supporters on a sunny afternoon ended with more dark clouds over the club, and the stadium was emptying rapidly long before the final whistle. Those home supporters who stayed to the bitter end booed, and it is hard to see Igor Tudor continuing as interim manager when league football returns after the international break.
Spurs have seven games in which to avoid relegation for the first time since 1977, and Tudor has managed to get just one point from a possible 15 since taking over from Thomas Frank.
Vitor Perreira, by contrast, has risen to the challenge as Forest's fourth manager of the season, and the Portuguese coach looks like enabling another great escape, as he did with Wolves last season.
Yet Tottenham had started the stronger side, buoyed by the noise from their supporters, around 10,000 of whom had lined the streets around the stadium before kick-off to welcome their team's arrival.
Mathys Tel had an early shot deflected wide and then curled in a corner that was headed against his own bar by Jesus.
Richarlison headed another corner from Tel wide of the far post, and shortly before half-time, the French winger hit the bar with a curling shot. Cristian Romero wanted a penalty when Neco Williams bundled him off the ball as it rebounded, but referee Michael Oliver was having none of it and VAR agreed.
A minute later, Forest took the lead against the run of play. From a hopeful punt into the penalty area, Jesus showed impressive improvisation to flick the ball goalwards and Guglielmo Vicario did well to tip it over the bar. But from the resulting corner, Jesus thumped a powerful header past the Italian keeper, to the delight of Forest's fans.
Igor Tudor changed his side at half-time, replacing Micky Van de Ven with Destiny Udogie and sending on fit-again midfielder Lucas Bergvall.
Forest could have increased their lead soon afterwards, when Neco Williams had acres of space to head goalwards, bringing a good save from Vicario.
But the keeper should have done better when Gibbs-White made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute. Callum Hudson-Odoi cut in from the left wing, pulled back a low cross and Gibbs-White shot powerfully but straight at Vicario, who failed to stop the ball.
Xavi Simons went on for Spurs to add some creativity, and Ibrahim Sangare, who had been booked earlier, was lucky to escape a second yellow card for pulling the Dutchman down.
But it was Forest who scored again, when William's deep cross from the left was touched in at close range by Awoniyi. As Forest's fans celebrated the prospect of survival, home supporters were leaving in droves.
Vicario 5; Spence 6 (Bergvall 46), Danso 5, Romero 5, Van de Ven 6 (Udogie 46); Porro 5, Sarr 6, Gray 7 (Gallagher 84), Tel 7 (Simpons 67); Solanke 6, Richarlison 6 (Kolo Muani 67)Â
Selz 7; Aina 7, Murillo 8, Milenkovic 8, Williams 8; Sangare 6, Anderson 7 (Dominguez 89), Gibbs-White 7 McAtee 89); Hutchinson 6 (Ndoye 80), Jesus 7 (Awoniyi 70), Hudson-Odoi 7 (Yates 70).
Michael Oliver 6/10
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