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Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo admitted he was wishing the minutes away at the end as Nottingham Forest hung on for a big 2-1 win away to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Reds had taken a two-goal lead with 16 minutes gone in the capital, courtesy of goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood. But they came under plenty of pressure from their opponents and faced a nervy finale when Richarlison pulled one back for Spurs in the closing minutes.

Goalkeeper Matz Sels had already made some excellent saves to keep the hosts at bay and Harry Toffolo had chipped in with an outstanding goalline clearance. Victory took Forest back up to third in the Premier League table, after they had started the day in sixth place.

“The final minutes were full of anxiety and wishing the time to go faster. Tottenham had us against the ropes,” Nuno said.

“We are very proud of the way we competed. We reacted really well from the previous performances.

“The team competed well. We started well with the two goals and were dominant. Even without the ball, we tried to contain Tottenham.

“Even though they had chances, we had Matz and the clearance from Harry Toffolo. The spirit is about that. The way we compete is as a team.

“We wish that we could be more positive going forward in the second half, but you have to credit your opponent. When you are in front, the priority is to contain.

“You need all the togetherness you can have. We help each other in those situations.”

The Reds had gone into the game looking to bounce back from successive defeats. Losses to Aston Villa and Everton, coupled with results elsewhere over the weekend, had seen Nuno’s team drop down the table. But the result means Champions League qualification remains in their own hands with five matches to go.

Goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood sent Nottingham Forest back up to third in the Premier League table as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the capital.

Back-to-back defeats coupled with results for their nearest rivals had seen Nuno Espirito Santo’s side drop to sixth prior to kick-off. With the race for Champions League qualification incredibly tight, it set up a huge game in north London.

The Reds got off to the perfect start as they took the lead with just five minutes on the clock. Morgan Gibbs-White won the visitors a corner when he forced Guglielmo Vicario into an early save. Spurs then failed to clear the flag-kick and it fell to Anderson on the edge of the D, with his piledriver flying in via a deflection off Rodrigo Bentancur.

Forest thought they had doubled their lead five minutes later but VAR ruled out Wood’s effort for offside. The front man was not to be denied just past the quarter-hour mark, though, as he met an Anthony Elanga cross to make it 2-0.

The visitors had the advantage but they were far from comfortable at the back as their opponents threatened throughout the first half. Matz Sels had to make a big save to deny Wilson Odobert while Mathys Tel and Richarlison both missed decent chances.

Gibbs-White spurned a great opportunity to increase the Reds’ lead shortly after the break but fired off target after being put through by Wood. At the other end, Harry Toffolo thwarted Dejan Kulusevski with an incredible goalline clearance and Sels kept out Richarlison again.

Three minutes from time, however, Richarlison did find the net with a header to set up a tense finale. But Forest hung on to claim all three points. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Matz Sels: Came to his team’s rescue more than once with some superb stops. Save to thwart Richarlison late on was a particular cracker. Looked like it was going to be enough for the Belgian to notch up another clean-sheet, but the Spurs man had other ideas. Rating: 8.5/10

Neco Williams: Kept on his toes by a combination of Djed Spence and Mathys Tel. Had his work cut out but dealt with the challenge well, even if it wasn’t his most comfortable of nights on the right. Rating: 8/10

Nikola Milenkovic: The back line had quite a few nervy moments as the hosts threw plenty at the Reds and put in no end of crosses. Chipped in with a fair few interceptions to try to keep them at bay. Rating: 8/10

Murillo: No sign of the Brazilian being affected by his mistake against Everton. Seemed to have put that firmly behind him. Needed to be on his guard, too, as this one was far from easy. Rating: 8/10

Harry Toffolo: A surprise inclusion in the XI for his first Premier League start of the season and his first appearance since February. Lack of minutes certainly didn’t show when he came to the rescue with an unbelievable second-half clearance off the line. Rating: 8.5/10

Elliot Anderson: Ran the show for much of the evening. Regardless of the deflection, was a terrific strike to open the scoring. A shame Wood’s first effort was chalked off as the midfielder had set it up with a sublime pass. Rating: 9/10

Danilo: Put a big shift in for the best part of an hour. Still looks a little tentative in challenges, which is understandable after his injury, but more than did his bit on a huge night in north London. Rating: 8/10

Nicolas Dominguez: Didn’t stop from the moment the match kicked off right up until he was substituted just before the hour having worked his socks off. Some effort from the Argentine as Forest shrugged off any pressure on their shoulders. Rating: 8.5/10

Morgan Gibbs-White: Had a couple of good chances to get on the scoresheet but hadn’t brought his shooting boots. Denied by Vicario with one in the first half and then couldn’t find the target with another opening after the interval. Rating: 7.5/10

Anthony Elanga: Excellent ball in to set up Wood for Forest’s second. Had used his pace to threaten with a dangerous run just before that, too, so it came as a bit of a surprise to see him substituted at the break. Rating: 8/10

Chris Wood: Back among the goals after a slight lean spell in the Garibaldi. Took it well for his 19th of the campaign, having been a bit unfortunate to see an effort ruled out a few minutes earlier. Rating: 8/10

Subs

Morato (for Elanga, 46mins): Might have done better for Richarlison’s goal as seemed to be caught out in the air. Had been brought on to try to help shore things up in the second half. Rating: 7.5/10

Ryan Yates (for Dominguez, 58mins): Got stuck in almost straight away. Gave his all for the cause as the Reds came under pressure. Rating: 7.5/10

Callum Hudson-Odoi (for Danilo, 58mins): Made some good runs and brought some energy to proceedings. Just couldn’t quite find the final ball this time. Rating: 7.5/10

Taiwo Awoniyi (for Wood, 75mins): A boost for the Reds to have the forward available again after injury. Did well during his time on the pitch. Rating: 7.5/10

Ramon Sosa (for Gibbs-White, 90+3mins): Looked like he was going to create a last-minute opening when he went on a late run. Good burst of energy. Rating: 7.5/10

Subs not used: Miguel, Sangare, Moreno, Abbott.

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has named his Nottingham Forest team to take on Tottenham Hotspur in tonight’s crunch Premier League clash.

The Reds go into this evening’s game looking to bounce back from successive defeats. A 2-1 loss at Aston Villa a fortnight ago was followed by a 1-0 reverse at home to Everton last weekend.

Those defeats coupled with results elsewhere have seen Forest drop to sixth in the table ahead of kick-off in the capital. However, a win against Spurs would take them back up to third spot.

The battle to secure Champions League qualification is incredibly close going into the final weeks of the campaign. As it stands, a cluster of five clubs - from Newcastle United in third to Chelsea, Forest and Aston Villa in fifth, sixth and seventh respectively - are separated by just two points.

Nuno has made three changes to his XI from the loss to the Toffees last time out. Harry Toffolo, Danilo and Anthony Elanga replace Alex Moreno, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jota Silva in the line-up.

Toffolo will step in at left-back, with Neco Williams keeping his place on the right. Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo will make up the back line ahead of goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Elliot Anderson and Danilo will likely be the midfield pairing, unless Forest opt for a three in the centre of the pitch. However, if Nuno sticks with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation it seems likely Nicolas Dominguez will take up a wide role.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Elanga will also provide attacking support for front man Chris Wood. The bench will be made up of Carlos Miguel, Morato, Ibrahim Sangare, Taiwo Awoniyi, Hudson-Odoi, Moreno, Yates, Ramon Sosa and Zach Abbott.

Forest: Sels; Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Anderson, Danilo; Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Elanga; Wood. Subs: Miguel, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Hudson-Odoi, Moreno, Yates, Sosa, Abbott.

Tottenham Hotspur playmaker James Maddison is a doubt for his side’s clash with Nottingham Forest on Monday evening, manager Ange Postecoglou has said.

England international Maddison was clattered by Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos as he won what proved to be the decisive penalty in Spurs’ Europa League quarter-final on Thursday night.

Maddison was substituted after the incident and Postecoglou said on Saturday morning that he remains sore. That casts doubt over his involvement at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night, when Forest will look to take a step towards Champions League qualification.

Spurs skipper Son Heung-min will be absent too as they struggle to get to the bottom of his foot injury.

“It’s fair to say he'll probably be a bit sore so he's probably a doubt for Monday,” Postecoglou said of Maddison at his press conference.

“The rest of the group worked hard so they're a bit sore but should be okay for Monday night.

“Sonny will still be out. He's been dealing with this foot problem for a while so now is as good a time as any to give him time to get over it, so he'll definitely miss Monday night as well. But everyone else should be okay.

“It's something that he (Son) has been dealing with for a little while, and we've got to the point where it not only was not improving, it was deteriorating. It's one of these things.

“I think probably rest is going to be as important as anything else with that kind of injury. So we'll give him that time, because Sonny’s the kind of guy that always wants to train.

“We'll just have to put him on ice for the next few days and see how he responds to that.”

Beyond Maddison and Son, Spurs have one more player unavailable, with centre-back Radu Dragusin in rehab following surgery on an ACL tear.

While Forest are flying high and have a three-point cushion in the Champions League, it's been a poor season for Spurs domestically. They could sit 17th come kick-off, having won just one of their last six league games.

Nottingham Forest will leave it as late as possible to make calls on the fitness of injured duo Ola Aina and Taiwo Awoniyi for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

Full-back Aina has been sidelined with a calf problem since being forced off in the first half of the 1-0 win over Manchester United earlier this month. Striker Awoniyi, meanwhile, has missed the past two games with a hamstring issue.

The pair were not involved in a training session with their teammates this morning (Thursday) ahead of Monday’s trip to the capital to face Spurs (8pm kick-off). But head coach Nuno Espirito Santo will make a final assessment on them closer to the game.

"We have to assess,” said the Portuguese. “They were not with the group and are still carrying some problems.

“We have to assess them. It is going to be day by day.”

Thanks to the fixture schedule, Forest will at least have had a clear week of rest and recovery by the time they take on Tottenham. The extra few days between matches should help top scorer Chris Wood, in particular.

The New Zealander made his comeback from a hip injury in last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Everton. Wood played the full 90 minutes but did not look fully fit at the City Ground.

"Of course we have to manage Chris,” Nuno said. “He has been out for a while. He was unable to play in the previous games because of his injury.

"The effort was good, but not as good as we want. Now we are positive that on Monday Chris is going to be better.

“Having the full week is good because we have been facing a tight schedule with a lot of big effort from the players. Many of them are struggling with some situations.

"A clear week was good for us because more than anything it allowed the players to recover properly - not push them immediately after a big effort. We could give them time to recover. Monday, we are going to compete.”

The Reds go into Monday’s game on the back of successive losses. They have been overtaken by Newcastle United in the Premier League table, courtesy of the Magpies’ win over Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, and are now fourth.

The future of Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou reportedly hangs in the balance ahead of Nottingham Forest’s trip to the capital next week.

Whereas the Reds have a full week-and-a-bit of recovery time before their clash with Spurs, their opponents have a big game on the cards. And reports suggest it could be a particularly crucial one for under-pressure Postecoglou.

Forest are in the mix for Champions League qualification with six games to go, but Tottenham are languishing in 15th place. Their poor season has led to talk about the head coach’s future.

Before their meeting with the Reds, Postecoglou’s side face Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday evening. The tie is poised at 1-1 going into the second leg.

TEAMtalk claim that if Spurs are dumped out of the competition by their German opponents, the club’s board will convene “to decide the fate of” Postecoglou. The report comes as other managers are being linked with replacing the former Celtic manager.

Brentford’s Thomas Frank and Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola are both being touted as potential targets, should the axe be wielded in north London. Whatever happens this week, it is said Tottenham will conduct an end-of-season review and will examine Postecoglou’s position as part of that.

Forest will hope having a free week before their journey south can be beneficial. They go into next Monday night’s game (8pm kick-off) aiming to bounce back from successive defeats.

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo said last week he hoped full-back Ola Aina would be available for the match against Spurs after missing the last two games with a calf problem. Striker Taiwo Awoniyi could also make his return from a hamstring issue.

Top scorer Chris Wood looked rusty on his comeback against Everton last week but should be boosted by an extra bit of rest. The same applies to Anthony Elanga, after Nuno said he was having to manage the winger due to the knock he picked up against Aston Villa.

Former Nottingham Forest man Djed Spence has opened up on a "weird" comment made about him by Neil Warnock before his move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The defender struggled under the veteran coach during his time at Middlesbrough, which saw him shipped to the City Ground on loan. Warnock claimed Spence would either be playing in the Premier League or non-league in five years' time.

Spence would go on to play a starring role in Forest's promotion to the English top flight in 2021/22, beating Huddersfield Town at Wembley in the play-off final. He scored two goals and provided four assists in 39 Sky Bet Championship appearances.

His performances would earn him a big money dream move to Spurs, where he initially struggled for game time under Antonio Conte. But now he is thriving under Ange Postecoglou, earning plenty of experience in the Premier League and Europa League.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, the 24-year-old admitted he found Warnock's comments to be strange and that he didn't take them on board.

"If I'm honest I didn't take it on," Spence admitted. "I don't know. I had a lot of conversations with him to be fair, and he always said he'd seen a lot of players and you can be the best.

"He made that comment, I'm either going to be non-league or whatever he said. It's a weird one because if I go in and do rubbish and become non league, he was right.

"If I go on and become the best, he was right. It's a weird comment. He's alright, man, he's alright."

Spence has made 16 appearances in the Premier League for Spurs so far this season. The North London outfit have had a difficult campaign, largely down to injuries to a number of key players, as they currently sit in 14th position.

Nottingham Forest's hunt for more attacking talent has taken another turn as a new face has entered the frame.

According to Turkish media, Nuno Espirito Santo is keeping an eye on Fenerbahce's Sebastian Szymanski ahead of the summer. They will face competition from clubs across Europe, including Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Poland international was linked with a move to Spurs last year, but they reportedly failed to agree a deal. Though Aksam are reporting the Super Lig outfit are getting ready to cash-in on the 25-year-old.

Fenerbahce paid €20m for the player back in 2023 and it is claimed they will only accept bids in the region of €25m. A bidding war could ensue this summer, however, with Serie A giants Napoli and AC Milan understood to be making a move.

Szymanski has made 42 appearances for the Turkish side this season, scoring five goals. His contract runs until June 2027.

The Pole is just another name on Forest's list of attacking targets. He joins the likes of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha - which would require a club record fee - as well as Atalanta's Ademola Lookman, Udinese's 6ft 7in striker Lorenzo Lucca, and Napoli's Victor Osimhen.

Chris Wood has been leading the line well for the Reds this season, scoring 18 times in 29 Premier League appearances. But given he's 33-years-old, plus his recent injury record, more depth is needed - especially should Nuno's men be dining with Europe's finest next season.

Former Nottingham Forest defender Djed Spence has opened up on the manager who "shattered" his confidence.

The 24-year-old was part of the promotion winning team who won at Wembley in 2022. Having been on loan from Middlesbrough at the time, his stellar performances earned him a Premier League move to Tottenham Hotspur - but the dream didn't quite go as planned.

Antonio Conte, who was Spurs boss upon his arrival to North London, publicly claimed it was the club's decision to sign Spence and not his. Falling more and more out of favour as time went on, a decision was made to ship the full-back out on a six-month loan to Rennes in the second half of the 2022/23 season.

Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents Podcast, Spence recalled: "It wasn’t a nice feeling. Especially as I was coming to the club on a high, I was confident, I was buzzing, had just won promotion. Then it was like running into a brick wall. It shattered my confidence a bit, obviously, I’m young. It’s not nice to hear.

"I knew it was rubbish at the time. It wasn’t a nice feeling. I was even going into the club like ‘what am I doing?’. I feel like whatever I did, that man [Conte] wasn’t happy about anything. Even if you did the right things, you were like, ‘did I do the right thing?’ cos he’s not really a complimenting guy. It gets to a point where you don’t really need validation from a coach. You just go, ‘Oh’. I probably had one conversation with him."

Conte was sacked in March 2023. Yet upon Spence's return to Spurs, he still found it difficult to nail down a starting spot and failed to feature at all during Ange Postecoglou's first season due to loan spells at Leeds United and then Genoa.

But the former Forest man has finally managed to break into the manager's plan during the current campaign. He has played 18 times so far, scoring and assisting once.

"When a new manager comes in you think, 'alright, everyone's going to get a fair chance, he's going to have a look at everyone'. With me, I don't think that was really the case," he added. "But that's part of the game of football. Football's not fair. [Postecoglou] just said basically I need to go out and play and that's when I ended up going to Leeds.

"Sometimes you might not get a chance that you feel like you deserve. I've always known I was good enough. People say, 'it's good to see he's got a second chance and he's doing well'. I never really got the first chance. This is my first chance and I'm taking it. I'm just happy I worked hard, I stayed consistent and I was ready."

Nottingham Forest made it four Premier League wins on the spin for the first time since 1995 as they saw off Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day.

Anthony Elanga bagged the only goal of the game at the City Ground to clinch the three points. At the other end of the pitch, some excellent defending and a hat-trick of big saves from Matz Sels to deny ex-Red Brennan Johnson kept the visitors at bay.

As the halfway point of the season approaches, the belief that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can push for European football is strengthening. Below is a look at what the national media had to say about Forest’s 1-0 victory over Spurs.

The Telegraph

As the mist rolled in from the River Trent, Nottingham Forest’s magical season continues but the gloom is gathering around Ange Postecoglou.

Forest are up to third in the Premier League, temporarily moving above Arsenal, and supporters are chanting about future European excursions after a fourth victory in a row.

Anthony Elanga’s third goal in three games was enough to settle an absorbing, tight contest and Forest are proving the feelgood story of the season so far.

It was an afternoon to savour for Nuno Espirito Santo, who lasted just 17 matches as Tottenham’s manager in 2021 before he was ruthlessly sacked by chairman Daniel Levy.

Exciting times at the City Ground, and Nuno is running out of ways to play it all down.

Full report, here.

Daily Mail

Mist rolled in from the River Trent, just like in Nottingham Forest's terrace anthem but the songs that filled the air after a fourth victory in a row were all about scaling the Premier League and returning to Europe.

Nearly 30 years have passed since the last of their famous adventures overseas, but Forest are third after beating Tottenham at the City Ground and starting to dream of digging out their passports and roaming once more under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Forest look increasingly sure of themselves. Comfortable in a system that suits their best players, happy to play on the break with a nice habit of toppling the big clubs that way.

They won at Liverpool and their latest trick is to condemn Tottenham to a fourth defeat in five Premier League games, a sequence which piles a pressure on Ange Postecoglou.

Full report, here.

The Times

Nottingham Forest and their fans are dreaming about a return to European football after this win against Tottenham Hotspur sent them up to third in the Premier League.

A year ago, when Nuno Espírito Santo took over a struggling side that had won only one of their previous 13 games, many Forest fans’ Christmas wish would have been purely to stay in the top flight. Now, 12 months on they are chanting about the possibility of a Champions League adventure for the two-times European champions after Anthony Elanga’s first-half goal gave them all three points at the City Ground.

Full report, here.

The Independent

Nottingham Forest strengthened their European ambitions with a 1-0 win over Tottenham, whose miserable season took a turn for the worse.

Anthony Elanga’s first-half goal was enough for Forest to consolidate their position in the top four as the mist gathered at City Ground and the outlook keeps getting gloomier for under-pressure Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.

While Spurs, who had Djed Spence sent off at the death, ponder a season of mediocrity, Forest are daring to dream after posting a fourth successive Premier League win for the first time since 1995.

They have already surpassed their points total from last season and are looking like genuine contenders for European qualification, which outlines the impressive job Nuno Espirito Santo has done at the City Ground.

Spurs pushed for an equaliser, but Forest put in a defensive performance Spurs could only dream of as central pairing Murillo and Milenkovic won all of their headers and made all of their tackles.

Full report, here.

Sky Sports

Forest secured all three points and the clean sheet to go alongside it against Tottenham - but they could not have done it without Murillo.

As Postecoglou rightly pointed out, his side possessed a threat in the final third but ultimately could not capitalise on it. And that is because of Forest's man mountain at the back.

When there was space, he would close it. When there was a ball to be won, there was no contest.

The home crowd serenaded him throughout the entirety of the game. He is a fan favourite and it is clear to see why, the partnership forming with Nikola Milenkovic is the foundation that this historic season for the club is being built upon.

Full report, here.