Nottingham Forest’s dismal away form continued as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in north London.
The Reds had an early let-off when a VAR check ruled out a Richarlison goal for offside. But the reprieve didn’t last very long, with the hosts establishing a commanding lead before the break.
Harry Kane headed in Pedro Porro’s cross with 19 minutes on the clock. And the Spurs striker bagged his second little more than quarter of an hour later.
READ MORE: How the action unfolded against Spurs
READ MORE: Cooper names Forest team to face Spurs
Joe Worrall was punished for a clumsy challenge on Richarlison, with referee Craig Pawson immediately pointing to the spot. Kane made no mistake, thumping the ball past Keylor Navas for 2-0.
At the other end of the pitch, Forest offered very little. A deflected strike from Jonjo Shelvey was all they could muster before the break.
The visitors started the second half a little brighter, at least, with Felipe sending a shot over and Brennan Johnson drawing a save. But just when they were beginning to get a bit of joy, Heung-Min Son killed the game off. Worrall’s header proved little more than a consolation effort, with Andre Ayew missing a late penalty. Here’s how Reds reporter Sarah Clapson rated the Forest players at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Keylor Navas: Produced a couple of decent saves late on, but the game was already gone by then as the Reds had been too easily picked off. Wasn’t given a lot of help. Rating: 5/10
Serge Aurier: Forced a strong save in the second half, but sloppy mistakes before then had been costly. Not how he wanted the afternoon to go against his old club. Rating: 5/10
Joe Worrall: Had his head in his hands after the clumsy challenge which presented Spurs with the penalty. Knew he’d made a poor decision. At least added to the away goal tally. Rating: 5/10
Felipe: Flicked the ball on for Worrall’s goal and chipped in with some robust challenges. This was still another miserable away day all round, though. Rating: 5/10
Renan Lodi: Had a tough time of it at left-back. Not his usual self when he did have the ball, being guilty of handing it back to the hosts too many times. Rating: 5/10
Remo Freuler: The midfielder’s dip in form continued as the Reds were unable to establish any control in the centre of the pitch before the break. They need to find the right formula there. Rating: 4.5/10
Orel Mangala: One of two changes to the starting XI, but mixing up the midfield still didn’t work. Too many poor touches and balls given away. Rating: 4.5/10
Jonjo Shelvey: Brushed aside in the build-up to Spurs’ first goal and the third went through his legs. Did have a couple of shots at goal, but needed to be better with the ball. Rating: 5/10
Jesse Lingard: His first start since December, and it showed. Didn’t offer a great deal to convince the manager he deserves to keep his spot. Rating: 4.5/10
Morgan Gibbs-White: Bright moments were few and far between for the away side. But the second half was better, with a strong run setting up Johnson’s effort. Rating: 5.5/10
Brennan Johnson: At least managed an effort on target, after a poor first half from the visitors. Hopefully brought off as a precaution as seemed to be suffering from some sort of problem. Rating: 5.5/10
Subs
Andre Ayew (for Mangala, 46mins): Had a golden chance to at least get on the scoresheet with a late penalty, but couldn’t convert. Rating: 5/10
Emmanuel Dennis (for Lingard, 46mins): Was bright enough when he came on as the substitutions made a difference. Rating: 5.5/10
Ryan Yates (for Freuler, 67mins): Minutes in the bank will help. Forest need him back fully fit as soon as possible. Rating: 5.5/10
Chris Wood (for Johnson, 67mins): Barely on the pitch for five minutes before he came off with a knock. Rating: 5/10
Neco Williams (for Wood, 73mins): Contributed to a better spell, but the result was a foregone conclusion by then. Rating: 5.5/10
Subs not used: G Shelvey, Colback, Niakhate, Danilo.
Who was your Forest man of the match? Have your say in the comments below
READ NEXT
