Nottingham Forest win 3-0 at Tottenham Hotspur to leapfrog relegation rivals

LONDON – Nottingham Forest defeated fellow Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on March 22 to leapfrog their relegation rivals near the bottom of the table thanks to goals from Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi.

Spurs were arguably the better team before the break but created only one real chance which Richarlison squandered before Jesus headed in from Neco Williams’ corner on the stroke of half time.

The impressive Mathys Tel forced a superb save from Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels in first-half added time, but that was as close as Spurs came on a miserable afternoon.

Gibbs-White, a summer target for Spurs, slotted home just after the hour mark and substitute Awoniyi added a late tap-in to send Spurs fans streaming for the exits. Those remaining in a half-empty stadium booed loudly at the final whistle.

Forest’s win – their first in the league under coach Vitor Pereira – puts them 16th with 32 points from 31 games, two points above Spurs in 17th on 30 points.

“It’s absolutely a huge result,” Gibbs-White told Sky Sports. “There was a lot of worry going into this game and about the outcome. But the boys were incredible. We defended with our lives today.”

Spurs are one point above 18th-placed West Ham United, who lost 2-0 at Aston Villa on March 22.

John McGinn gave Villa an early lead before Ollie Watkins doubled their advantage after the break to ensure West Ham stay in the relegation zone over an extended break for international games and the FA Cup.

Forest take big step towards survival

Spurs came into the match on a 12-game winless run in the league but buoyed by their first point under boss Igor Tudor at Liverpool last weekend and a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in midweek Champions League action, albeit still losing on aggregate.

But all the pre-game optimism had disappeared by the end of March 22’s clash, which leaves Spurs in deep trouble and Tudor on the brink.

Richarlison ought to have put Spurs ahead in the 15th minute and shortly after a defensive header from Jesus bounced off the woodwork as Spurs started brightly.

But, for all their threats with Kevin Danso’s long throws and Tel’s dangerous corners, Spurs did not manage a shot on target before Jesus scored in the 45th minute.

Tudor was at the game but missed the post-match press conference for a family matter that UK media said was a bereavement. In his place, coach Bruno Saltor said fine margins were going against Spurs.

“The first 44 minutes, I thought were good, really good, creating chances, getting into the box” he told reporters. “Second half, probably we were not able to deal with the weight of the game.”

Guglielmo Vicario, who is due to undergo surgery next week on a hernia, saved Williams’ header early in the second half but was too easily beaten in the 62nd minute by Gibbs-White to put the game beyond Spurs.

Awoniyi scored a third in the 87th minute to add gloss to a good week for Forest, who progressed to the Europa League quarter-finals on penalties in midweek.

Pereira, Forest’s fourth permanent manager of a turbulent season, insisted though that his players needed to keep fighting to ensure top-flight survival.

“We have a lot of points to get until the end of the season,” he told reporters. “We must keep our mentality.” REUTERS