Tottenham Hotspur suffered another frustrating home defeat as Nottingham Forest claimed a 2-1 victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday evening, despite a late goal from Richarlison.
The Brazilian forward gave Spurs a glimmer of hope with a well-placed header in the 87th minute – his 20th goal for the club – but early strikes from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood gave the visitors a cushion they defended resiliently for the remainder of the match.
Spurs controlled the match statistically, enjoying 70% possession, registering 22 shots and six on target, and keeping Forest pinned in their own half for long stretches. However, it was Forest who made their rare chances count, taking the lead in the fifth minute through Anderson. His low drive from the edge of the box took a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur and flew past Guglielmo Vicario.
Forest thought they had doubled the lead minutes later when Wood converted from close range, only for VAR to rule the goal offside. But the striker didn’t have to wait long to get on the scoresheet. In the 17th minute, he glanced home a well-delivered cross from Anthony Elanga, putting the visitors 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.
Tottenham responded with wave after wave of attack, forcing goalkeeper Matz Sels into a string of impressive saves. Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Mathys Tel, and Richarlison all had chances, but a combination of poor finishing and strong defending kept the North London side at bay.
Despite several attacking substitutions and a second-half siege on the Forest goal, it wasn’t until the 87th minute that Richarlison finally broke through, nodding home Pedro Porro’s cross – the Spaniard marking his 100th appearance for the club with an assist.
Five minutes of added time weren’t enough for Spurs to find an equaliser, as Forest expertly managed the closing stages to see out the win. The result marks Tottenham’s eighth home league defeat of the season, a statistic that will concern manager Ange Postecoglou with just a few fixtures remaining.
Match Summary:
- Goals: Spurs – Richarlison (87’); Forest – Anderson (5’), Wood (17’)
- Yellow Cards: Spurs – Romero; Forest – Gibbs-White, Yates, Sels, Toffolo
- Referee: Peter Bankes
- Attendance: 59,314
- Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Weather: Sunny, 13°C, light winds
