Premier League

With Antonin Kinsky eligible to make his Tottenham Hotspur debut tonight in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool, Ali Tweedale of Opta Analyst takes a closer look at how the 21-year-old goalkeeper is positioned to help solve their goalkeeping issues.

Six months is a long time in football.

In the summer of 2024, Antonin Kinsky was set to leave Slavia Prague on loan to Slovan Liberec. It was going to be his fourth consecutive season out on loan.

The 21-year-old did not like the prospect of remaining at his parent club to play second fiddle to Czech Republic international Jindrich Stanek.

Having just had a successful season fighting relegation with Pardubice further down the Czech First League, he wanted more first-team football.

But then Stanek suffered a serious shoulder injury playing at UEFA Euro 2024, and Slavia Prague decided to keep Kinsky on. Half a year later, he is the great hope for Tottenham Hotspur fans looking for a solution to their goalkeeping crisis, having completed a move worth a reported £12.5 million this week and eligible to make his debut tonight in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg as Spurs host Liverpool.

But that might be jumping the gun a little. Kinsky only made his top-flight debut in July 2023and moves to Spurs with just 37 top-tier appearances to his name – all in the Czech First League.

He has made 10 appearances in Europe this season – four in Champions League qualifiers and six in the Europa League group stage – but the Premier League still represents a big step up for a player who would be playing for a mid-table Czech side were it not for that sliding doors moment at Euro 2024.

But he comes with bags of potential, and his half-season as Slavia Prague’s No 1 as well as the previous campaign at Pardubice have convinced Spurs to make their move.

Reports from his home country suggest Kinsky is so confident and ambitious that he will back himself to make an impact on the first team before long.

So, what will he bring to north London? And can he really solve Spurs' goalkeeper crisis?

First of all – and most crucially, obviously – Kinsky is an excellent shot-stopper. In 19 Czech league matches this season, he conceded only seven goals at a rate 0.37 per game, keeping 12 clean sheets and saving 83.3 per cent of the shots on target he faced.

He ranks first in all three metrics among every goalkeeper in Europe’s top 10 domestic leagues in 2024/25 (the Czech First League is Europe's ninth-best league according to UEFA’s coefficient system, sandwiched between the Belgian and Turkish top flights).

We can get a better idea of his shot-stopping ability by taking into account the quality of the shots on target he has faced using our Expected Goals on Target (xGOT) metric, which tells us how likely a shot is to end in a goal based on the Expected Goals (xG) of the chance and the end location in the net.

Shots headed for the corners of the goal (which are harder to save) are therefore given a higher score.

The total xGOT that a goalkeeper faces can tell us the number of goals the average goalkeeper would concede from those shots on target.

Compare that to the number of goals a goalkeeper actually concedes (excluding own goals) and we can calculate how many goals they have prevented with their saves.

In the Czech First League this season, Kinsky ranks second for goals prevented, with 4.9, suggesting that without his shot-stopping ability, Slavia Prague would have conceded around five more goals than they did.

However, playing for a team as dominant as Slavia Prague – they are seven points clear at the top of the league, averaging more possession (61.4 per cent) than every other team and having faced at least 79 fewer shots (136) than any every team – naturally means he is tested less. What’s more, the average quality of the chances Slavia Prague concede is lower than every other team, at 0.06 xG per shot.

He certainly won’t have that luxury playing for Ange Postecoglou’s defensively leaky Spurs.

Only four teams have allowed their opponents shots worth more xG in the Premier League this season than Spurs' 34.3, with each shot they have faced worth, on average, 0.14 xG. In other words, each chance Spurs concede is more than twice as good in quality as those conceded by Slavia Prague.

But Kinsky also has experience playing for a less dominant side.

At Pardubice in 2023/24, he ranked fourth in the Czech top flight for goals prevented (2.2) and second for save percentage (78.9 per cent) playing for a team that ended up narrowly avoiding relegation. Each shot they conceded that season was worth 0.11 xG, and Kinsky still maintained one of the best save success rates in the league.

At that level, he has excelled when it comes to keeping the ball out of his net, so it will be interesting to see how he fares when up against better-quality finishers in the Premier League.

There’s much more to his game that Spurs will have looked at, though, and it’s no surprise given how Postecoglou wants his team to play that he has chosen a goalkeeper who is exceptional with the ball at his feet.

The inadequacies of their current back-up goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, with his feet have been exposed since Guglielmo Vicario broke his ankle, while third-choice keeper Brandon Austin simply chose to go long rather than play out from the back on his Spurs debut against Newcastle United at the weekend.

Kinksy, though, is very comfortable on the ball. Only six goalkeepers have made more passes than his 645 in the Czech league this season, but his 81.1 per cent passing accuracy is higher than any of those players. In Europa League matches, meanwhile, his passing accuracy of 83.9 per cent is the highest of any goalkeeper to make five or more appearances.

He is happy to take his goal-kicks short – something Postecoglou insists upon – with only one other Czech First League goalkeeper having taken more goal-kicks which end inside their own penalty area this season than Kinsky (35).

His confidence and competence on the ball means he is happy to leave his penalty area – something that will be particularly important playing behind Postecoglou’s high line.

Among goalkeepers, Kinsky has had the highest proportion of his touches outside his own box in both the Europa League (37.9 per cent) and the Czech First League (32.6 per cent) this season.

One area of concern for Spurs fans, however, may be corner kicks – where Vicario has struggled more or less ever since coming to England.

In general, Kinsky is happy to come for crosses and is often successful when he does so. He has made the most catches of any goalkeeper in the Czech top flight this season, with 48.

But the season before, while at Pardubice, Kinsky conceded a disproportionately high number of goals from corners, glued to his line all too often as the ball came into the box.

Despite playing just 18 of a possible 30 matches in the regular Czech league season, only three goalkeepers conceded more goals from corners than his six. That made up 32 per cent of all the 19 goals he conceded that season – the highest proportion of every goalkeeper in the division.

Defending corners is obviously a team effort, and those goals won’t all be entirely his fault. He may even argue that none of them were, particularly given he only let in one goal from a corner with Slavia Prague this season before his move to Spurs.

But given Spurs' problems from corners and the fact some opponents crowd their six-yard box to make life as difficult as possible for Vicario, that might be an area that Kinsky needs to work on.

Early on in particular, he’ll need to show as much confidence as possible underneath crosses in order to persuade teams this isn't a weakness to his game that they should go after.

He is clearly a hugely talented player, as well as a great prospect for Spurs to have on their books. It’s certainly reasonable to expect that he can at some stage challenge for Vicario’s No 1 jersey.

But Spurs are in dire need right now. They were forced to field Austin last weekend with Vicario injured and Forster ill. And, if we’re honest, even if he had been available, Forster hasn’t been entirely convincing of late.

Austin acquitted himself well enough in tough circumstances, making a couple of decent saves and pleasing the home crowd by cleanly claiming a couple of crosses when under pressure, but his lack of ability with the ball at his feet is a massive problem for Postecoglou’s football.

They can’t play out from the back with him in goal, and give up possession time and again by going long. If Kinsky is deemed ready, he will give Spurs a huge boost on that front.

Putting him straight into the first team would be an enormous risk for Postecoglou. It's hard to think of any big Premier League club signing an unproven goalkeeper and throwing them straight into action, partly because it's such a pressured position that doing so requires a very strong mindset as well as ability.

But Spurs could really do with him now, so could playing him be a risk worth taking? We may well soon find out.

Tottenham Hotspur have announced Son Heung-min's current contract has been extended until the summer of 2026.

The club have exercised the option for an additional season, which will take the South Korea international into an 11th year in north London.

Son was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 and has since made 431 appearances, scoring 169 goals. He is ranked 11th on the club's all-time appearances list and fourth on the top scorers' chart.

The forward was named club captain in August 2023, following the departure of his long-term team-mate and attacking partner, Harry Kane.

More to follow...

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Ian Wright and Jermain Defoe discuss whether Spurs head coach needs to compromise on his playing style in the short term

Tottenham Hotspur have signed Czech Republic goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague, subject to international clearance and work permit.

The 21-year-old joins from the Czech league leaders on a permanent deal until 2031 and is Spurs’ first signing of the January 2025 transfer window. He will wear the No 31 shirt.

Kinsky joins a Spurs team currently without first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who has an ankle injury and is not expected to be available until next month.

Vicario’s deputy Fraser Forster missed Saturday’s Premier League match at home to Newcastle United because of illness, forcing head coach Ange Postecoglou to hand a league debut to third-choice ’keeper Brandon Austin.

Postecoglou had previously talked about the club’s plans in the window to strengthen a squad ravaged by injuries.

“The club is working as hard as it possibly can, trust me,” Postecoglou said. “They are not having New Year parties, they are out there working trying to improve our situation and they’ll continue to do so.”

Who is Antonin Kinsky?

The 21-year-old, born in Prague on 13 March 2003, Kinsky began his footballing journey locally with FC Tempo Prague, Bohemians Prague 1905 and FK Dukla Prague, making his senior debut with the latter in July 2020.

He signed for Slavia Prague in July 2021, and gained useful experience during loan spells at MFK Vyskov (twice) and FK Pardubice before returning to his parent club for the 2024/25 season and establishing himself as No 1 'keeper.

Kinsky has made 29 appearances this season across across all competitions, including the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Champions League qualifiers, keeping 14 clean sheets.

He has played for the Czech Republic at youth level and was called up to the senior squad for the first time last year.

When could he make his Spurs debut?

Spurs are next in action in the FA Cup third round when they travel to non-league Tamworth on Sunday 12 January. Their next Premier League match is the north London derby at Arsenal three days later.

Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak scored as Newcastle United came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 and claim a fifth straight Premier League win.

Isak continued his rich form when he nudged home to put Newcastle ahead in the 38th minute of Saturday’s contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs, ravaged by injury and illness, had named their youngest Premier League starting XI (23y, 336d) since March 2015 (23y, 290d).

But it was Eddie Howe’s team that had to complete a turnaround after falling behind to Dominic Solanke’s excellent fourth-minute header.

Though Spurs’ defensive issues came back to bite when Gordon swiftly restored parity, just 140 seconds later.

Isak pounced on Radu Dragusin’s error to score for a seventh consecutive league game and ensure a winning start to 2025.

While Newcastle consolidated their place in fifth, Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham remain 11th as they suffered their 10th defeat in the league this season.

How the match unfolded

Under the watchful eye of new England boss Thomas Tuchel, two Three Lions hopefuls got the match off to a thrilling start. Solanke got the better of Sven Botman to head in from Pedro Porro’s excellent cross.

But Spurs’ lead lasted just 140 seconds, as Gordon slotted in coolly from a tight angle, with the goal confirmed after the VAR checked for handball by Joelinton in the build-up.

Gordon went close from a similar position in the 21st minute, but Brandon Austin made a sharp stop at his near post, before Isak prodded wide from Jacob Murphy’s centre.

Isak did not miss later, though, when another teasing Murphy cross was bundled into his path by Dragusin, with the Swede helping it into a gaping net.

Brennan Johnson hit the woodwork as Spurs searched for a response after the restart, though Gordon squandered a gilt-edged chance at the other end when he blazed over.

Substitute James Maddison curled just wide to spark a frantic conclusion in which Johnson and Sergio Reguilon flashed across the face of goal as an equaliser evaded Spurs.

An (Un)happy New Year

Tottenham conceded the first goal in 15 Premier League home games in 2024 and, even though they hit the front this time out, their makeshift defence could not cope with Newcastle’s quality in the final third.

They were unhappy with the decision to award Newcastle’s opener, with Lucas Bergvall’s pass having struck Joelinton’s arm before Bruno Guimaraes fed Gordon, but it was deemed that the Brazilian’s arm was in a natural position and the contact was accidental.

But Postecoglou must look at the scenario from which Newcastle’s equaliser came about. Only two minutes after taking the lead, Spurs took an unnecessary risk when playing out from the back, and were made to pay.

They also had a couple of warning signs prior to Isak putting Newcastle ahead. Gordon tested debutant goalkeeper Brandon Austin – standing in for the ill Fraser Forster – and Murphy found space down the right on multiple occasions before he eventually put in the cross that Dragusin bundled into Isak’s stride.

Dragusin was forced off at half-time as Spurs woes continued to mount, with Djed Spence having to partner Archie Gray in defence. To their credit, Tottenham held their own at the back from then on, but they could not find an equaliser at the other end – Johnson and Maddison going close before multiple cross-shots somehow avoided a glut of players in the box and Solanke headed just over.

Postecoglou needs his key players back, though, if Spurs – who face rivals Arsenal in their next league outing – are to get a season that is threatening to slip away completely, back on course.

Isak powering Newcastle’s Champions League charge

Howe was able to welcome back defender Botman from injury for his first start of the season, though the Dutchman – who went off with what looked like cramp late on – was caught out when Solanke stole in to open the scoring.

But given that there has never been a goalless Premier League draw between these teams, it was no surprise that the scoring started early. Howe will have been delighted with how his team responded to going behind, especially when considering that was the first top-flight goal Newcastle had conceded since their 4-2 loss at Brentford on 7 December.

Gordon got things going for the visitors, as he sent a message to the onlooking Tuchel with a superb finish low into the far corner from the left-hand side of the box.

Isak, though, is Newcastle’s man of the moment. He showed rare profligacy when he diverted wide in the 32nd minute, but he swiftly atoned with what was his sixth league goal against Spurs.

Gordon should probably have supplied a pass for another potential tap-in for Isak in the second half, but lashed over instead. Though Newcastle were not made to pay for that miss as they held on, including through 10 minutes of stoppage time, to apply further pressure to the top four.

Club reports

Tottenham Hotspur | Newcastle

What the managers said

Ange Postecoglou: "On the balance of play, any balance you want with all things being equal, we would have won today. Outstanding. I couldn't be prouder of the players. I couldn't ask any more. It's a game we would have won if all things were equal. If all things were equal and balanced we would have won today. Things weren't equal and balanced."

Eddie Howe: "We had to dig deep today. It was a tough win but a massive one. There's no denying the ball hit Joe's hand or arm but I'm not sure of the rules. Confidence has definitely shifted, it naturally does when you win games. It was something we were building to. Performances were good. We're a very good team with good players. I'd like to think we can keep it going."

Next PL fixtures

Key facts

Newcastle United have now won five consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2023, while Tottenham Hotspur have gone six league games without a home win (D2 L4) for the first time since October 2008 (D3 L5).

Aleksander Isak has now scored in seven consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle United, becoming the third player to do so for the Magpies after Alan Shearer (September-November 1996) and Joe Willock (April-May 2021).

There have been 192 goals scored in the 60 Premier League matches between Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, an average of 3.2 per game, making it the highest scoring fixture on average in the competition’s history (minimum of 50 meetings).

Tottenham Hotspur have now played 101 Premier League games without recording a 0-0 draw, only Manchester United (114 between May 1999 and May 2002) have had a longer run without a goalless draw in the competition’s history.

Joining Tottenham Hotspur on 1 January 2025 from Korean side Gangwon FC, Asian football expert John Duerden looks at the rise of Spurs' new teenage winger Yang Min-hyeok.

Yang Min-hyeok started 2024 as a 17-year-old high school student, juggling morning classes, afternoon training sessions and weekend appearances in the K-League for Gangwon FC.

It has been a remarkable rise for the winger - but then it was a remarkable debut season.

A breakout year

Yang scored 12 goals (just three behind the league’s top scorer) and managed six assists to help Gangwon FC, who had never previously finished higher than sixth, end the season as K-League runners-up.

Being named Rookie of the Year with a record number of votes was expected. Less so was July’s announcement that Yang had signed a five-and-a-half year deal with Spurs and would join the Premier League club in January 2025.

All this happened just four months after Yang made his professional debut to become the K-League’s youngest ever player.

“When I go to school, my friends always cheer me on, saying, ‘I saw you score a goal,’ and there are even friends who ask for my autograph,” Yang said, reflecting on his surreal year.

Style of play

Yang's role model is Phil Foden - for Gangwon he sported the same number 47 as the Manchester City star - and he loves to run at defenders and is happy to press high up the pitch.

"My strength is dribbling, using speed, and I think my finishing ability has improved recently," Yang said. "I might be a bit behind in terms of physicality… so I’m trying to improve that."

That mentality impressed his head coach at Gangwon, Yoon Jung-Hwan.

"Especially for a young player, Yang is very smart," Yoon said. "That is what makes him different. He understands his opponents and has a very bright future if he keeps working hard."

Another milestone was a call-up to the senior national squad in August, even though the star of the 2023 Under-17 Asian Cup did not come off the bench. When it next happens, he will be able to report for international duty with his Spurs team-mate, Son Heung-min.

Son never played in the K-League - the Spurs captain joined Hamburg as a 16-year-old - but playing-style comparisons between the two Korean attackers are inevitable.

"[Yang] is a very two-footed winger, in terms of physical build, he’s a bit smaller than 'Sonny’," said Korean football journalist Jason Lee.

"He doesn’t necessarily have [Son’s blistering pace] but he is a better 1-v-1 dribbler. If he continues to improve, Yang is a really exciting player."

Able to play on either side of attack, shoot from anywhere, and work extremely hard without the ball, it is clear why Yang might catch the attention of Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou.

A bright future

Millions of fans in Korea hope that Yang can impress Postecoglou, but there is also an understanding that he needs time to settle, mixed with a little excitement that Spurs asked the 18-year-old to fly to London a month earlier than originally planned.

Whatever happens in England, Yang's progress will be closely watched back home, if the number of reporters and cameras capturing his departure from Incheon International Airport on 16 December is any guide.

Yang's transfer is an unusual one for such a young player. Most of the South Korean stars who have made an impact in the Premier League such as Son, Park Ji-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Seol Ki-hyeon, and Ki Sung-yeung all arrived in England after impressing elsewhere in Europe.

Yang is the youngest player to go directly from the K-League to the Premier League. "I'd like to get into a match before the season ends, and hopefully score a goal or get an assist. Personally, I feel that I am ready," Yang said, just minutes before he boarded the plane for London.

More Korean stars to keep an eye on

If it works out for Yang in England, other young talents in the K-League - Asia’s oldest professional league - could follow him. Here are a few names to look out for:

Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC)

Age: 22

Position: Right-back

Has already played for the national team and able to play on the right side of defence and midfield.

Hong Yun-sang (Pohang Steelers)

Age: 22

Position: Winger

Three years on loan in Germany seems to have helped as Hong has moved up a level since returning to Korea.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou is dealing with an injury crisis, with a number of central defenders set to miss their next match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

First-choice pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are long-term absentees, both were injured in their first match back from injury earlier this month against Chelsea and have missed Spurs' last four matches in all competitions.

Ben Davies has suffered a setback and is out for another couple of weeks, while Radu Dragusin was forced off in the loss at Nottingham Forest.

"It's a bit early to tell, he tweaked his ankle and felt like he couldn't continue, so we'll have to wait and see. We'll wait until he gets in (for training) today," Postecoglou said when asked about Dragusin in his pre-match press conference.

"[We've] not [got] many. We are in a tough spot. We have been for a while," Postecoglou added on his defensive options.

"We have been kind of getting through it for quite a while now and keeping our fingers crossed we don't get any more issues.

"It is the nature of football and the fixture scheduling we have had, which means we have always been on a fine line of trying to get through. It is another test for us, but it is what it is. Whatever we need to deal with, we will deal with and be ready for Sunday."

See: Latest Premier League injuries

Who will Spurs play at centre-back?

Spurs' 18-year-old versatile midfielder Archie Gray has been filling in at centre-back, starting the past five matches across all competitions there.

Dragusin has been partnering him but if he is out, then 19-year-old Alfie Dorrington may make a full Premier League debut. He has made one appearance in the competitions but was part of Spurs' Premier League 2 (PL2) winning team of 2023/24.

Midfielder Yves Bissouma ended the match against Forest at centre-back and could be a candidate to start there, as Postecoglou was asked whether it will be happen.

"I don’t know. I mean Yves has never played there so I am not sure why I would put him there," Postecoglou said.

"I had to put him there last night because I had no one else, but we’ll see. We’ll see what happens."

Spurs' other absentees

Spurs will also be without full-back Djed Spence v Wolves. He is suspended for one match after receiving two yellow cards against Forest.

First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is expected to be out until February while Wilson Odobert, Richarlison and Mikey Moore are also out.

How much is Spurs' injury crisis affecting them?

Spurs' lack of central defenders have been telling. Since losing Romero and Van de Ven against Chelsea, Postecoglou's side have conceded in all but one match that they've been unavailable in since.

And when Romero was taken off in the 15th minute against Chelsea, Spurs were leading 2-1 but proceeded to concede three more times and eventually lost 4-3.

Spurs' results since Romero and Van de Ven's injuries

Date Match Competition 08/12/2024 Spurs 3-4 Chelsea Premier League 12/12/2024 Rangers 1-1 Spurs Europa League 15/12/2024 Southampton 0-5 Spurs Premier League 19/12/2024 Spurs 4-3 Man Utd EFL Cup 22/12/2024 Spurs 3-6 Liverpool Premier League 26/12/2024 Forest 1-0 Spurs Premier League

Spurs' current points tally of 23 from their first 18 games is their worst in 16 seasons.

And even if they win their next match against Wolves, this will be their lowest points tally at the midway point of a Premier League season (19 games) since 2008/09 when they had won 20 points.

Will Spurs sign January reinforcements?

Postecoglou previously said that the club will strengthen their squad in the January transfer window, a comment he reiterated in his press conference on Friday.

"I still think you can be disciplined. It will depend where we’re at when the window opens and we're getting close to that now, so we've got a clearer picture of where we're at," Postecoglou added.

"It's not just about just bringing anybody in. There's certainly a need to reinforce if we can.

"Everyone knows January's not an easy time to do that. But the club's working hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to help players we've got at the moment who are giving everything in every game and dipping into every bit of energy they have to try to get us through.

"Not in years but I think in the context of where we're at at the moment I think it is an important one. I think if we add what we need to add and it fits the bill in what we're trying to do… Our league position is not great but it’s super tight and we’re not that far off. Like I say, we're in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and still in great position in Europe and there's the FA Cup.

"There's still everything to play for for us this year to make it a season where we can have success. But we need some help, the players need some help more importantly, and the club is working really hard to try make that happen."

Spurs' next five PL fixtures

Anthony Elanga scored for the third Premier League match in a row to move Nottingham Forest up to third as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the City Ground.

Elanga, who had scored in wins over Aston Villa and Brentford, put the hosts into a 28th-minute lead after being brilliantly picked out by Morgan Gibbs-White, before prodding the ball home.

Spurs rarely threatened Matz Sels throughout the contest, with the returning Brennan Johnson unable to find a way past the Forest goalkeeper with his three efforts on target.

It was also an unhappy return for former Forest defender Djed Spence, who was given a second yellow card late on to hand Ange Postecoglou another defensive issue, having seen Radu Dragusin go off injured moments earlier.

The win lifts Forest above Arsenal and into third ahead of the Gunners’ home encounter with Ipswich Town on Friday, while Spurs stay in 11th, 10 points off the top four.

How the match unfolded

Son Heung-min was the first to test Sels in the opening exchanges following Murillo’s poor giveaway, before Callum Hudson-Odoi curled over after a quick Forest counter-attack.

But the hosts would get themselves in front soon after when Gibbs-White’s pass in behind was poked home by Elanga.

Johnson then saw his effort tipped over the bar by Sels shortly before the break after Dejan Kulusevski had done brilliantly to pick out the Welshman in the Forest box.

Johnson continued to threaten after the break, brilliantly touching the ball beyond Murillo but was again met by Sels, with Elanga going close to doubling his tally but miscuing his effort.

Fraser Forster then denied Gibbs-White from close range after parrying Elliot Anderson’s cross away, before Spence was handed his marching orders in second-half stoppage time for a mistimed tackle on Jota Silva.

Forest advance on Europe

Nuno Espirito Santo continues to play down Forest’s chances of reaching European football next season, but he is building something special at the City Ground this campaign, something he was unable to do during his short tenure with Spurs three years ago.

After a slow start, which saw Ryan Yates booked for a foul on Son, meaning he will miss Forest’s trip to Goodison Park to face Everton on Sunday, they eventually found their groove when Elanga tucked home his third Premier League goal in as many matches in the competition.

Forest continued to impress at both ends of the pitch, with Sels producing some important stops to deny Johnson, as Forster tipped away Anderson’s cross into the box before springing back to his feet to save from Gibbs-White.

Though Spurs dominated possession, they were unable to carve out any meaningful chances, though Forest could have doubled their advantage late on when substitute Taiwo Awoniyi fired into the side-netting from a tight angle, despite having better options around him.

Forest will be hoping to continue their impressive form but face a tough test against Everton at Goodison Park this Sunday, with the Toffees having held Manchester City 1-1 on Boxing Day.

Spurs’ defensive woes continue

Following their defeat against Liverpool last time out, Postecoglou believed he was being unfairly judged given his side’s long list of injuries, but his position will only be put further under the microscope after falling to defeat here.

Spurs remain without Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, but started strong at the City Ground when Son tested Sels before Johnson stung the palms of the Forest goalkeeper moments later.

But Elanga’s opener seemingly clicked Forest’s slick football into gear, though Johnson was again thwarted by Sels before Son closed out the first half by sending a free-kick into the side-netting, and that effort was arguably the closest Spurs came to getting themselves level.

James Maddison was introduced from the bench but was unable to find the target, and amid Spurs’ pressure, they were unable to penetrate Forest's goal. A frustrating afternoon in the east Midlands was further compounded with Dragusin going off injured and Spence’s dismissal.

Postecoglou will have to do plenty of thinking on how to solve Spurs’ defensive issues ahead of facing Wolverhampton Wanderers at home on Sunday.

Club reports

Spurs report

What the managers said

Nuno Espirito Santo: "The belief is here but the belief doesn't hide the reality. The reality says we haven't achieved nothing yet and we have two days to recover and rest and compete against Everton. This is the reality.

"We believe we can compete as long as everybody understands every player in the squad is huge for us. We believe we can compete well. The fans should enjoy. Let's enjoy this together."

Ange Postecoglou: "It was a disappointing goal we conceded but aside from that, the boys worked hard and we tried to generate as many opportunities as we could considering the context of the game and how Forest play. We just couldn't get over the line."

Next PL fixtures

Key facts

Forest have won four consecutive Premier League matches for the first time since May 1995, while this victory ended a run of six consecutive league defeats against Spurs.

Spurs lost a Premier League game on Boxing Day for the first time since 2003 (0-2 v Portsmouth), ending their 16-match unbeaten run on 26 December (W12 D4).

Spurs averaged over 65 per cent possession for the seventh time in the Premier League this season (70.4), though they’ve ended up losing five of those games (W1 D1).

Liverpool gave their fans an early Christmas present by tearing Tottenham Hotspur apart in this game. In doing so, Arne Slot’s team extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to four points, with a game in hand.

Despite scoring six goals and maintaining their unbeaten away record in the 2024/25 campaign, the margin of victory here could and should have been greater for Liverpool.

For Spurs, defeat left them languishing 11th in the table, despite having the fourth-best goal difference in the division – eight goals better than the next-best team, with two more goals scored than any other side.

Liverpool looked to be heading into half-time with at least a two-goal lead, only for Spurs to score against the run of play. Any hope Ange Postecoglou had that the tide would turn was dispelled when Dominik Szoboszlai restored the two-goal cushion just before the break.

It looked like a humiliating thrashing was on the cards when Liverpool went 5-1 up with half an hour remaining.

Spurs, however, have developed a reputation for entertainment under Postecoglou and pulled it back to 5-3 after 83 minutes, only for Luis Diaz to snuff out any hopes of an unlikely comeback.

How the managers saw it

Postecoglou: “I’ve never questioned the players' commitment, effort – they really care and believe in what we’re doing.

"That was evident again today, but you still need to be at a certain level both physically and in terms of quality to be able to do what we need to do against the top teams… today, they were just too good for us.”

Slot: “Until 60, 65 minutes, I really, really, really enjoyed what I saw.

"But then you also saw that no matter how much quality players have, if they think they don’t have to run any more then in this league – especially against Tottenham, because they are so good with the ball as well – they immediately start to create, and that’s what they did and they scored two goals.

"I was happy that [our] sixth one went in, to be fair.”

Liverpool’s attacking shape

From their 4-2-3-1 structure, Liverpool committed significant numbers to their attacking play, beginning the match very much on the front foot.

Although nominally a centre-forward, Diaz dropped to find pockets of space in the left inside-channel, away from Spurs’ centre-backs. There, he worked well alongside left winger Cody Gakpo, who was supported by Andy Robertson’s delayed runs from deep.

On Liverpool’s right, Szoboszlai moved forward to provide similar connections around Mohamed Salah, with Trent Alexander-Arnold also supporting from deep like Robertson.

The double-pivot of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister then protected and covered ahead of the two centre-backs, as shown below.

Liverpool’s attacking shape continued to cause Spurs problems, as the hosts’ double-pivots – from their 4-2-3-1 block – jumped on to Gravenberch and Mac Allister. This meant Salah, Diaz and Szoboszlai had space between the lines to receive and drive forward.

Diaz continued to cause Tottenham Hotspur issues by drifting wide, while Salah’s movements beyond left-back Djed Spence gave Liverpool a more direct option.

Both of the away team’s full-backs continued to make delayed runs in support, with Robertson and Alexander-Arnold crossing for the first two goals.

Liverpool’s high press

As well as creating from spells of sustained possession, Liverpool also created early chances via their high press. Where possible Diaz jumped onto Spurs’ right centre-back, which gave Salah an opportunity to press higher.

Szoboszlai moved onto the Spurs pivot who was positioned closest to the ball. From there, one of Mac Allister or Gravenberch jumped centrally, with Gakpo often forced to track back when Pedro Porro advanced.

On the other side, Salah let Spence advance and stayed higher himself, ready to receive and punish any high regain.

Salah’s five shots in the first 20 minutes alone demonstrated how attack-minded his positioning was throughout the first half.

Spurs themselves struggled to create for much of the first half, despite Spence being a clear out-ball against Liverpool’s high press. On the occasions he did receive and advance, however, his teammates’ supporting movements didn’t always help.

His space was too often filled by team-mates bringing their marker towards the ball. James Maddison’s widening to the left offered little, allowing his marker to be in a position to jump to Spence while also covering Maddison.

Dominic Solanke’s support was covered by Liverpool’s centre-back and any spare midfielder, while Son Heung-min rarely readjusted as Spence carried the ball.

As such, Spurs only created final-third entries by playing balls over the top of Liverpool's high back line. Their first goal came out of nowhere, when a high regain from sloppy Liverpool play allowed Maddison to score.

Liverpool continued with their high press in the second half, often going player-for-player on the ball-side of the pitch. Diaz and Gakpo pressed and duelled on the visitors’ left side, allowing Salah to stay high on the right.

Their back line was fully committed to supporting the press, with both full-backs happy to jump out if a Spurs winger dropped.

Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez were also happy to defend high, sometimes well into the opposition half (below), as Spurs rarely made runs or passes behind Liverpool’s high full-backs.

On the occasions when Spurs did get out – mainly through impressive individual play – Liverpool’s individual duelling recovered the ball back by the time Spurs entered the final third.

Exploiting space behind Spurs' back line

Liverpool showed their attacking prowess in going 5-1 up, but were also aided by Tottenham Hotspur's unconvincing back line. Postecoglou’s team pushed players forward almost regardless of the scoreline.

And, with both of Spurs' full-backs well out of position, their defensive box of centre-backs and pivots was easily exploited. Liverpool quickly found spaces either side, with Salah positioned high, ready and waiting for the transition.

His positioning and subsequent movements helped create more space for Gakpo and Diaz, who rotated superbly on the other side.

Additional runs from deep from Szoboszlai and one of their full-backs (below) meant that Liverpool repeatedly got numbers in the opposition penalty area.

On several occasions, three or four relatively simple Liverpool passes led to a chance, no matter where they had regained the ball. The away side exposed Spurs' lack of compactness within their defensive lines, as well as the huge amount of space in behind.

Salah and Gakpo repeatedly moved beyond, as Liverpool attacked directly over, or around, in addition to their intricate build-up play. Diaz or Gakpo withdrew, luring centre-backs out to create spaces for penetrative passes, which were complemented by runs from midfield – especially from Szoboszlai (below).

Although Spurs grabbed two late consolation goals, Liverpool's incisive attacking play and ruthless finishing completed a deserved victory.

The two teams will meet again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in just over two weeks, in the EFL Cup. For now, though, Liverpool have their eyes firmly set on a bigger prize.

Trent Alexander-Arnold epitomised the quality that Liverpool showed going forward in their incredible 6-3 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

The Liverpool right-back displayed the full range of his passing prowess by delivering a sensational cross for Luis Diaz to open the scoring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Alan Shearer, the Premier League's record goalscorer and Hall of Fame inductee, has named Alexander-Arnold in his Team of the Week alongside team-mates Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah and Diaz.

Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest)

"Kept another clean sheet and made a great save in Forest's superb victory at Brentford."

Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)

"Produced another crossing and passing masterclass. I would love to be on the end of his crosses!"

Alexander-Arnold's assist against Spurs

Murillo (Nottingham Forest)

"Solid all afternoon as Forest shut out a Brentford team who have scored the most home goals this season."

Dean Huijsen (AFC Bournemouth)

"Another impressive display from the 19-year-old, topped off with an excellent headed goal against Man Utd."

Jacob Murphy (Newcastle)

"Another goal and an assist in an excellent afternoon for Newcastle."

Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool)

"Didn't stop running from the first minute to the last and capped off an incredible showing with a goal and an assist."

Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

"What an outstanding performance against his former club Manchester City! Scored one goal and set up the other to win the match for Villa."

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

"Simply on fire. Two goals, two assists. He is spearheading Liverpool's bid for the title this season."

Alexander Isak (Newcastle)

"Hat-trick hero! Took all three of his goals so well and tore Ipswich apart."

Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)

"It's amazing what goals can do for confidence. An excellent week for Jesus where he reminded everyone what he can do, with five goals across his two matches against Palace."

Luis Diaz (Liverpool)

"Two goals and a great all-round performance. Even in an unfamiliar role up front, Diaz was too hot for Spurs to handle."