Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest - Spurs ease to win to boost top-four push

Tottenham moved above Aston Villa and into fourth after beating Nottingham Forest 3-1 in an entertaining match.

Ange Postecoglou’s side wobbled badly towards the end of the first half, when Forest should have gone ahead, but regained control after the break and deserved their victory.

The home side dominated early on with their usual slick passing and movement, although they almost went behind when Forest’s Brazilian centre-back Murillo shot just wide from - this is not a misprint - 80 yards. A few minutes later Murillo scored at the wrong end, diverting a dangerous cross from Timo Werner past the Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels.

Chris Wood’s clinical equaliser came against the run of play and winded Spurs, who were outplayed for the rest of the first half. Wood should have scored a second but indulgently battered a shot against the post from close range.

Postecoglou made two midfield changes at half-time, bringing on Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Spurs took charge. If the midfielders gave them control, the defenders got the goals. Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro blasted two in seven minutes, and Forest never really looked like staging a comeback.

The result moves Spurs ahead of Villa on goal difference, with a game in hand. Forest stay 17th, above Luton on goal difference, though the picture will change if Everton have more points deducted this week.

It’s not only at the bottom of the table where teams aren’t entirely sure how many points they need to get. While it’s likely that whoever finishes fifth will qualify for the Champions League, Spurs and Aston Villa certainly can’t take it for granted, so the race for fourth could yet be important.

Spurs have a slight advantage – they are above Villa on goal difference and have a game in hand. They still have to play all three title challengers, before which they have a tough trip to Newcastle, but they are where they want to be. And with an 11-point lead over Manchester United in sixth, they can surely bank on finishing in the top five.

Werner will always be a little accident-prone, but his pace, directness and relentless running can make him a nightmare for defenders. He set up the first goal with a dangerous low cross that Murillo turned into his own net and beat Forest’s right-back Neco Williams repeatedly with a sudden change of pace. With Richarlison injured, he is becoming an important player for Spurs.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario 7; Porro 7, Romero 6, van de Ven 8, Udogie 6, Sarr 6, Bissouma 6, Johnson 7, Maddison 6, Werner 8; Son 7. Subs: Hojbjerg 7, Lo Celso 7, Kulusevski 6, Bentancur 8, Scarlett 6.

Nottingham Forest: Sels 7; Williams 5, Omobamidele 6, Murillo 7, Aina 8, Yates 6, Danilo 6, Elanga 7, Gibbs-White 7, Hudson-Odoi 6, Wood 7. Subs: Sangare 6, Dominguez 6, Reyna 6, Origi 6, Montiel 6.

11’ – MURILLO ALMOST SCORES FROM 80 YARDS! That would have been one of the goals of forever. Murillo, Forest's Brazilian defender, nicked the ball on the edge of the area, moved forward a few strides, spotted Vicario a long way out of his goal and smashed the ball downfield with his left foot. It beat Vicario, whose heartbeat turned into a drum-and-bass track, and bounced not far wide of the left-hand post. Wow.

15’ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-0 NOTTM FOREST (Murillo og) And now Murillo has scored at the wrong end! Funny old game. It was a good move from Spurs, with Son releasing Werner on the left side of the area. He slid a low ball across goal and Murillo, not knowing what was behind him, turned it into his own net from six yards.

27’ –GOAL! TOTTENHAM 1-1 NOTTM FOREST (Wood) An equaliser out of nothing! Elanga played a give-and-go on the right, sped away from Udogie and crossed low towards Wood at the near post. He finished emphatically, sweeping the ball through the legs of Pedro Porro and into the far corner.

35’ – WOOD HITS THE POST! Forest should be in front. The impressive Aina broke down the left and picked out the onrushing Yates 15 yards from goal. His low shot was well saved by the diving Vicario but he could only push the ball towards Wood, four yards from goal. Wood tried to burst the net - don't ask me why - and smashed the ball off the post. What a miss!

52’ - GOAL! TOTTENHAM 2-1 NOTTM FOREST (Van de Ven) Pick that out! Micky van de Ven has blasted Spurs back in front. They took a short corner on the right, then worked the ball infield and across the face of the penalty area. Eventually Son laid the ball square to Van de Ven, who took a touch and thrashed a rising drive past Sels from 17 yards.

58’ – GOAL! TOTTENHAM 3-1 NOTTM FOREST (Porro) Another defender scores for Spurs! Maddison's sharp cutback from the left was headed across the area by Bentancur towards Porro, who watched the bounce and leathered the ball past Sels from 12 yards. It might have taken a deflection but it's Porro's goal, his first in the league this season.

85’ – SON HITS THE POST! Son pulls away from a couple of defenders in the area and drives a low shot back across goal. Sels is partially wrongfooted but manages to change direction, plunge to his left and get a strong enough hand on the goal to push it against the post rather than into the net.

- - -

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media