EPL: Forest Edge Spurs 2-1 to Keep European Hopes Alive

Nottingham Forest secured a crucial 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, keeping their European hopes alive. Chris Wood's header proved decisive.

Nottingham Forest reclaimed third place in the Premier League standings after a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at home. This result extended Forest's unbeaten streak on Easter Monday in the top flight to 17 matches, with 14 wins and 3 draws.

Tottenham's recent progress in the Europa League might have been expected to boost their performance, but Forest dominated the opening 20 minutes. They took a commanding lead that could have been even more substantial. The visitors' opener came after a series of events: Guglielmo Vicario parried Morgan Gibbs-White's powerful shot, Anthony Elanga's resulting corner was headed away by Pedro Porro, only to be picked up by Elliot Anderson, who scored from distance after the ball deflected off Rodrigo Bentancur and past a wrong-footed Vicario.

Forest had a dream start, which became even more perfect on the 10-minute mark. Elliot Anderson played a brilliant ball over the top to Chris Wood, who poked the ball past Vicario. However, VAR intervened, ruling Wood offside by a mere elbow's breadth. But Forest's joy was short-lived reprieve, as Wood would soon find the back of the net. He leapt high to head home Anthony Elanga's cross, sending the visiting fans into ecstasy.

Tottenham responded with tangible intent but struggled to capitalize. They had two golden chances in quick succession as half-time approached, but Mathys Tel's effort sailed wide, and Richarlison's header flew off target. This miss summarized the difference between the two teams' frontmen. At the break, Spurs made a tactical substitution, replacing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero with Ben Davies and Kevin Danso, potentially looking to revamp their approach for the second half.

The substitutions didn't immediately shift the momentum, and despite Mathys Tel being Tottenham's most dynamic player, Forest nearly sealed the win just before the hour mark. Morgan Gibbs-White found himself through on goal after Chris Wood's clever flick-on, but he fired wide under pressure.

Tottenham, facing the prospect of their first league double over Forest since the 1996/97 season, squandered a massive opportunity at the 75-minute mark. Dejan Kulusevski's glancing header seemed destined for the net, but Harry Toffolo made an acrobatic clearance when the ball was almost over the line. In the final minutes, Forest adopted a more defensive stance, and goalkeeper Matt Sels made two crucial saves to deny Richarlison, including an impressive fingertip diversion on a downward header from the Brazilian.

Three points, and back up to third in the table for @NFFC! 📈#TOTNFO pic.twitter.com/Y8YGuyRDfE

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 21, 2025

A thrilling finish seemed imminent, and Richarlison finally broke through with four minutes remaining, rising high to head home a long cross from Pedro Porro. However, it was too little, too late for Tottenham. Despite the late lapse in concentration, Forest deserved their victory.

With this win, Forest's hopes of qualifying for the European elite remain alive, exactly three decades after they won the bronze medal under Frank Clark, who succeeded Brian Clough. Meanwhile, Tottenham's struggles continue, having now lost 17 of their last 21 league games against top-half teams. They are also all but certain to finish in the bottom half of the table for the first time since the 2007/08 season.