Tottenham Hotspur significantly enhanced their Champions League qualifying prospects with a 3-1 triumph over Nottingham Forest at home on Sunday, propelling them into fourth place in the Premier League standings.
In the second half, goals from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, following Forest’s Chris Wood’s equalizer to Murillo’s own goal in the first half, allowed Spurs to take advantage of Aston Villa and Manchester United’s dropped points over the weekend.
Tottenham’s triumph sees them level with Villa on 60 points, with a game in hand, while United lags behind with 49 points following their 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
However, Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou expressed his indifference towards the race for fourth, emphasizing his focus on the team’s progress, telling reporters, “I couldn’t care less about the race for fourth, what I care about is the way the team is progressing.”
Nottingham Forest (Credits: Getty Images)
Tottenham seized the lead after 15 minutes when Murillo inadvertently turned Timo Werner’s cross into his own net, shortly after nearly scoring an audacious goal from inside his own half.
Although Forest’s Brennan Johnson came close to doubling Spurs’ lead against his former club, his effort was thwarted by goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Forest, against the run of play, equalized in the 27th minute through Wood’s fourth goal in four games, despite Spurs’ dominant display. The New Zealand striker missed an opportunity to score a second ten minutes before halftime when his shot hit the post from close range.
Forest believed Spurs should have been reduced to ten men just before halftime after James Maddison allegedly struck Ryan Yates off the ball, but VAR opted not to intervene.
Tottenham Hotspur (Credits: Premier League)
Reflecting on his team’s performance, Postecoglou made a double midfield substitution at halftime, introducing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur, which helped Spurs regain control of the game.
“I thought we lost our way a little bit towards the back end of the first half, but [there was a] super reaction and I thought the whole second half we dominated,” Postecoglou remarked.
Dutch defender van de Ven unleashed a powerful strike from the edge of the area to restore Spurs’ lead after 52 minutes, followed by a superb finish from Pedro Porro six minutes later.
The defeat leaves Forest in 17th place with 25 points from 32 games, narrowly ahead of third-bottom Luton Town only on goal difference.
