Nottingham Forest dismantled Tottenham 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, dragging Igor Tudor’s side closer to the relegation trapdoor while giving Vitor Pereira breathing room in the survival fight. Forest move to 32 points, Tottenham stay on 30, and the mood around N17 has turned toxic.
Tudor persisted with a 4-4-2, Dominic Solanke and Richarlison leading the line against a Forest back four anchored by Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo. Pereira kept faith with his 4-2-3-1, Morgan Gibbs-White floating behind Igor Jesus and Neco Williams pushing on from right back. Tottenham saw much of the ball but Forest looked far more coherent.
The visitors absorbed pressure before landing the first blow. Williams advanced in the 45th minute and picked out Igor Jesus, who finished crisply to send Forest in a goal up and the home crowd into open dissent.
Tudor responded with Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall at the break for Micky van de Ven and Djed Spence, yet the pattern held. Ibrahim Sangaré was booked for a foul in the 53rd minute but continued to shield the defence, and when Callum Hudson-Odoi drifted inside in the 62nd minute he released Gibbs-White, who doubled the lead. By the time Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons arrived in the 67th minute, Tottenham’s shape had frayed.
Tottenham’s expected goals total of 1.25 and three attempts on target brought no reward. Matz Sels beat away Solanke’s best effort and clawed out Mathys Tel’s curler, while Milenkovic repeatedly closed off the direct route to goal. Pedro Porro and Archie Gray kept probing, but every delivery met a red shirt. Udogie’s temper snapped into a yellow card in the 82nd minute, underlining the frustration.
Forest’s bench management sealed the result. Ryan Yates replaced Hudson-Odoi in the 70th minute to bolster midfield, Taiwo Awoniyi came on a minute later to stretch tiring legs, and Dan Ndoye relieved Omari Hutchinson in the 80th minute. Williams surged forward again in the 87th minute to set up Awoniyi, who made it three before collecting a booking for his celebration sixty seconds later. Pereira then introduced Nicolás Domínguez and James McAtee in stoppage time as the travelling support revelled.
This was anything but a smash-and-grab. Forest produced seven shots on target from eight attempts, matched Tottenham’s physicality, and posted an expected goals figure of 1.34. Elliot Anderson bustled through midfield, Hutchinson chose his moments intelligently, and both full backs balanced caution with incision.
The pressure on Tudor intensifies. Tottenham remain winless at home in the league since the turn of the year, and they now sit just one point above West Ham in the final relegation spot. Forest, three points clear of the drop, finally resemble a side with gears. Williams has regained his timing, Gibbs-White looks liberated, and Pereira’s substitutions carry purpose. If Tottenham cannot summon a response soon, this March afternoon will stand as the day their season tipped over the edge.
