Latest Nottingham Forest news as Sean Dyche's Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at the City Ground
Sean Dyche hailed some impressive individual performances as well as a terrific team display as Nottingham Forest toppled Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground.
A Callum Hudson-Odoi brace and a stunner from Ibrahim Sangare clinched a 3-0 success for the Reds. The three points moved them five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.
Head coach Dyche felt it was Forest’s best performance since his appointment in October. And while some individuals stood out - especially Sangare and Hudson-Odoi - he pointed to the power of the collective.
“Overall, it was probably our best (performance) because of the balance of play,” Dyche said. “When we had to defend, we did. When we could play, we did. When we had to clear our lines and do the basics, we did.
“Every manager is looking for the right decisions from players. They have certainly made a lot of very good decisions today.
“Sangare has done well since we’ve been here. Elliot (Anderson) was outstanding; he did all the nuts and bolts.
“Igor (Jesus) is learning all the time and played strong. Callum has come back in and done well. Omari (Hutchinson) is doing well.
“When I came in, I told the players it has to be a squad mentality; it can’t just be the XI playing. Everyone has got to know their roles and responsibilities, and I have been absolutely delighted with that.”
Sangare put the seal on the hosts’ triumph with a fantastic shot in the 79th minute. He had done all the hard work to set up Hudson-Odoi’s opener after 28 minutes and had also passed the ball to the winger to make it 2-0 after the break.
“He has certainly put a shift in for us,” Dyche said of the midfielder, who will now join up with Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations. “We know he can play and we know he understands the game.
“He has had a few injuries before, which have not helped him. I have enjoyed working with him. He works hard on the training pitch, comes in with a smile and gets on with it.
“He has certainly shown what he can do, and he did so with a great goal today. I could wax lyrical about so many players today because I thought everyone was top drawer.”
Hudson-Odoi’s brace ended a run of 18 games without finding the back of the net for the winger. There was some debate about whether his second was a cross or a shot as he curled it in from the left flank.
“I’m really pleased for him,” Dyche said. “We know he can do that.
“The second one, whether it was a cross or shot is irrelevant. It is still a great delivery either way.
“If it goes in, it’s a shot. If it doesn’t go in, it is still a fantastic ball in. I will give him the benefit of the doubt because I know he has scored those types of goals before.
“He is working very hard, especially out of possession. I think that is a key thing for him - to keep developing that side of his game and his tactical understanding.”