Spurs win 2-0 at Forest to stay on heels of English Premier League top four

LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou hailed Richarlison as a “monster” after Spurs bolstered their renewed bid for a top-four place in the English Premier League with a 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest on Dec 15.

Richarlison put Postecoglou’s side ahead late in the first half and Dejan Kulusevski struck after the break at the City Ground to clinch all three points.

Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma was sent off for a dangerous tackle with 20 minutes left, but the visitors held on for their second successive victory.

Spurs are fifth on 33 points, four behind leaders Liverpool. After winning for the first time in six league games last weekend when they crushed Newcastle United 4-1, Tottenham’s confident display offered more evidence they have emerged from their autumn swoon.

Saluting his opening scorer, Postecoglou said: “Richarlison is a goalmouth monster. I’m really pleased with him in training and I was confident he could do a job for us.

“He has been good again tonight, not an easy game as we weren’t going to get a lot of space and his impact is in the box, it was a great ball and that’s what Richy is really good at. He’s in a better space physically and mentally.”

On the match, he added: “It’s a tough game here. You have to earn whatever you get. When the ball goes out for a throw-in, you feel like you’ve conceded a goal.”

The Spurs boss was less impressed with Bissouma’s sending-off, which was their fourth this season and the midfielder’s second.

The Mali international saw red in the 70th minute, dismissed for a high tackle on Ryan Yates after referee Jarred Gillett was advised to consult the pitchside monitor.

“We’ve had to deal with that a few times this year. You can’t go on like that because we’ll eventually pay a price for that,” he said. “It’s a fine line between commitment to what we do and not overstepping the mark.”

In contrast, relegation-threatened Forest are winless in their last six games and have managed just one victory in 13 matches as the pressure mounts on their manager Steve Cooper.

Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson was constantly jeered on his first return to Forest since his close-season transfer.

Spurs were dominating possession and they finished with a flourish in first-half stoppage time.

Kulusevski’s inswinging cross picked out Richarlison and, cleverly drifting away from his marker, the Brazilian rose to head home from five yards.

It was Richarlison’s third goal in two games after he had gone nearly three months without scoring.

Former European champions Forest thought they had equalised when Anthony Elanga slotted home in the 58th minute, but the goal was disallowed by VAR (video assistant referee) for offside against the former Manchester United forward.

Reinvigorated by that escape, Tottenham doubled their lead in the 65th minute, thanks to Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner’s catastrophe.

His weak clearance only reached Kulusevski, who danced into the area before drilling a powerful shot that beat Turner’s limp attempted save at the near post.

Cooper said: “The fans were brilliant today. I think they saw a team that gave everything. But not only should you give everything, you need to show quality as well and not give away silly goals, which is what we did.” AFP, REUTERS