The 'Sunday League' point Sean Dyche made at half-time as brutal chant sums up Nottingham Forest win
Latest Nottingham Forest verdict as Sean Dyche's Reds beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at the City Ground
Well before the end, the ‘oles’ were ringing around the City Ground as Nottingham Forest revelled in their best performance of the Sean Dyche era.
With every pass, the cheer went up and echoed around the stadium. It was a glorious sign of just how comfortable and in control the Reds were as they cruised to three points in impressive fashion.
This was Forest and the home crowd back to their very best on a joyous afternoon Trentside. Tottenham Hotspur were completely put to the sword - as those brutal shouts from the stands testified.
Sunday’s display was even better than the one that saw Liverpool swatted aside by the same 3-0 scoreline Thomas Frank’s side were on the receiving end of. Below, NottinghamshireLive looks at some of the big talking points from the Reds’ victory over Spurs.
Sublime Sangare
It hasn’t always been easy for Ibrahim Sangare Trentside. When he put pen to paper from PSV in the summer of 2023, Forest hoped he would be a difference-maker; someone who could help evolve their style of play.
For various reasons - from struggling to find his feet in English football early on to a serious bout of malaria - he couldn’t quite make the impact it was hoped he would. Up until now that is.
Sunday was without question Sangare’s best performance for the club. He was superb. He had been playing well prior to running the show against Tottenham - with Dyche having got the best out of him - but this was on another level.
Two assists and a cracker of a strike to put the gloss on the Reds’ afternoon showed how much he will be missed while he is on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations. It was some way to sign off by the 28-year-old.
He had been congratulated by his teammates for his pressing that led to Callum Hudson-Odoi opening the scoring, then had a wide grin spread across his face when he made it 3-0. Even Dyche celebrated that one. And when fans sang his name, Sangare did a little jig in response.
Attacking threat
Dyche-ball was in full flow against Spurs. If anyone thought that would mean long balls being hoofed forward and a dull watch, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Forest played some terrific football on their way to claiming the three points. Indeed, Sangare’s rocket had been preceded by some lovely flowing passing.
True, John Victor had hooked the ball forward in the first place, but the excellent Igor Jesus controlled it so well that there was a huge roar of approval from Reds fans. The hosts continued to knock it about beautifully before the move was finished with aplomb by Sangare - complete with a satisfying crack off the post for good measure.
“I’ve always wanted to play,” Dyche said afterwards as he discussed the stereotype of his particular brand of football. “You’ve got to work with the players you’ve got and I’ve always tried to give them the best chance of being at their best.
“I think there’s a real talented group here, I’ve said that all along. But you’ve still got to do the basics - the hard yards, win your headers, win your tackles and win your races.
“I told them that at half-time. It’s the sort of stuff your Sunday League coach told you when you were a kid, but I’m not bothered about that because it is so important.”
John’s debut
There might well have been a few grimaces among supporters when the team news came through before kick-off on Sunday. Matz Sels was a notable absentee, having also been missing in midweek with a groin problem.
Dyche had hoped the Belgian would be fit to face Spurs, but in the end he did not want to take any risks. At the forefront of his mind was the fact his team have a clear week ahead of them before going to Fulham next Monday, allowing the goalkeeper extra recovery time.
Prior to this one, John hadn’t always convinced between the posts since his summer move from Botafogo. Sunday represented his Premier League debut.
As it turned out, the Brazilian had a pretty quiet afternoon. Nevertheless, he made an important stop to thwart Archie Gray in the first half at a time when it was still only 1-0 and he generally dealt with any balls in well.
Overall, he looked much more comfortable and confident than in previous outings. A clean-sheet should do wonders for him, and he now even has his own chant.
Sels hasn’t exactly been at the same level as he was last season. Perhaps knowing ‘big John’, as fans called him, can do a job will spur the Belgian on.
It helped that Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo were reunited in central defence. They are a formidable partnership.
The Dyche effect
In the last six Premier League match weeks, only Aston Villa (18) and Manchester City (15) have picked up more points than Forest’s 12, according to Who Scored. The Reds’ latest three-pointer moved them five clear of the drop zone.
It may well still prove to be a slog to climb up the rankings, but there can be no question about Dyche’s impact. And there is no reason to doubt he can steer the club away from trouble - and potentially even more than that.
The hosts were hungry on Sunday. To a man, they showed desire and commitment, but most of all they showed a tremendous work ethic. Forest blew their opponents away with their relentless energy, and that laid the foundations for their quality to shine through.
It would be possible to pick out plenty of standout individual displays - Sangare and Hudson-Odoi chief among them. But this was also very much about the collective.
Any time there has been a blip under Dyche (Bournemouth, Brighton and Hove Albion and Everton), there has been a clear response. Against Tottenham, the Reds set the standard for what is possible in the second half of the season. Now it is about keeping that going.
