Chris Wooden’s nineteenth Premier League aim of the season helped Nottingham Forest strengthen their Champions League qualification bid by shifting third and finishing a league double over Sixteenth-placed Tottenham.
Elliot Anderson’s first-time shot from the sting of the field deflected previous Guglielmo Vicario to present Forest a fifth-minute lead earlier than the goalkeeper mistimed coming off his line to permit Wooden to move previous him from Anthony Elanga’s cross within the seventeenth minute.
There was a flicker of controversy in between the targets when Wooden thought he had struck from Anderson’s cross, just for the trouble to be dominated out by semi-automated offside expertise as a part of a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) verify, with Spurs supervisor Ange Postecoglou displaying acquainted annoyance on the time the evaluation took.
Richarlison’s 87th-minute header from Pedro Porro’s cross gave Tottenham hope, however Forest secured a victory that lifts them above Chelsea, Manchester Metropolis and Newcastle and provides them a three-point cushion over the sixth-placed Blues with 5 league matches remaining.
What a begin for Forest! 💢
Elliot Anderson’s deflected effort finds its means in! 💥 pic.twitter.com/B0JXRlycwD
— Sky Sports activities Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 21, 2025
Spurs vs Forest: Anderson, Wooden targets
Forest are having a sensational season however their prospects of going the gap and ending within the top five had been questioned after successive defeats at Aston Villa and at residence to Everton.
Their begin on the Tottenham Hotpur Stadium confirmed how Nuno Espirito Santo’s facet can overwhelm opponents in swaggering type, and Wooden now wants three extra targets in 2024/25 to match Stan Collymore’s report of twenty-two in a single Premier League season for Forest – set in 1994/95, once they completed third.
The cross, the end 👨🍳
Chris Wooden is BACK! 😤 pic.twitter.com/alaBrVtDmN
— Sky Sports activities Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 21, 2025
Spurs finally grew to become livelier and had been maybe unlucky to not internet earlier. Goalkeeper Matz Sels turned a long-range Wilson Odobert shot behind shortly after Forest’s second, and Odobert arrange Richarlison – making his first begin since February 6 – for a header that the ahead misplaced.
They completed with an anticipated targets whole of two.14 to their opponents’ 0.64, having failed to search out the precision required to get well from Forest’s blistering begin.
Richarlison will get one again for Spurs ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ACLlZTuIoQ
— Sky Sports activities Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 21, 2025
Tottenham vs Forest: Richarlison aim
With Son Heung-min absent by way of harm, Mathys Tel additionally couldn’t discover his capturing vary with a presentable alternative for the 19-year-old Bayern Munich loanee to turn out to be the primary Spurs teenager to internet in three consecutive Premier League matches.
Richarlison had an try cleared off the road and Tottenham raised their depth noticeably earlier than the Brazil worldwide scored, however the Europa League semi-finalists, who made 5 adjustments, fell to an eleventh defeat in 33 league video games this season.
The return of one in all their key strikers is a welcome one earlier than Tottenham host Bodo/Glimt within the first leg of their final-four tie on Might 1 (20:00 BST). In between, they go to a Liverpool facet on the point of turning into champions on Sunday (16:30).
Forest face Manchester Metropolis within the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday (16:30) and host Brentford within the league on Might 1 (19:30).