Nottingham Forest (Home) 22.03.2026

Relegation is looking increasingly likely, as it is difficult to see where the next point, let alone the next win is coming from.  The team’s heads go down as soon as we let a goal in and without the energetic display of Archie Gray the mood would be even worse.  This game went from trophy winning celebration welcome as the team coach arrived at the ground to boos as the players traipsed around the middle of the pitch at the end.  The earlier chants of support until we die fading like our hopes of Premier League survival into derision.

But for 44 minutes Spurs played a bright, passing and moving game, but couldn’t break a stubborn Forest side down.  They weren’t great, but they were good enough to defend our attacks and score from a set-piece and on the break.  They and Woolwich have inflicted our biggest defeats of the season so far, both home and away.

Archie showed good awareness to take the ball off Anderson from behind as he broke into the box between Pedro Porro and Djed Spence.  Spurs won three corners in quick succession, but failed to create anything from them – the closest being Richarlison’s header that he put wide of the far post, although a Danso long throw was headed behind him by Jesus and the ball rebounded out off the face of the bar at the back post.  Hutchinson wriggled past Micky van de Ven’s challenge ten yards inside the Spurs half on their right wing and made his way into the box, forcing Guglielmo Vicario to a save at his near post.

Tottenham players were claiming a penalty when Aina clipped Pape Matar Sarr, but because Pape tried to stay on his feet, it wasn’t given and when the ball went loose Gray went into a meaty challenge with Sangare with a free-kick given to Forest when it was a 50-50 ball and Archie was the one who came off worse, while Mathys Tel lay on the ground, already having been injured by Sangare.  Aina was play fast and loose with his tackles, as he nudged Micky running at full speed inside the area, sending the Dutch defender into the advertising hoardings.

One of a number of corners we had ended up being deflected onto the roof of the net from Richarlison’s shot but most were dealt with by the massive Milenkovic.  There had little direct threat on the Spurs goal as half-time approached, but when a corner was met by Jesus’ head, it looped up and Vicario had to reach up to tip it over the top.  This corner was met by the same striker, rising above our three of our defenders who failed to jump to head in and to give Forest a somewhat undeserved 1-0 lead.  

Spurs did respond, with Tel hitting a shot from 20 yards that was heading into the keeper’s top left corner until Sels stretched upwards to palm it onto the bar and when the ball came down, Williams was all over Cristian Romero’s shoulders preventing him from jumping.  While the captain made a lot of it, VAR thought that there was nothing wrong with it (c.f. the two handed pushes for and against Spurs this season) and two players going for the loose ball ended up with a red shirt going down holding his leg and a free-kick was given to Forest.

There was some end of half booing, but I imagine this was mainly aimed at the referee for his inconsistent decision making, with Sangare’s trip on Archie Gray well worthy of a booking, especially if the player who made the foul had been wearing white.  Even when he was booked for being all over Romero with his arms in more or less the same way as Williams had been doing to Cristian in the box, then the Forest midfielder was claiming he had received an elbow to his nose. 

Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie were introduced at half-time with Micky and Djed making way, as Spurs looked to change the dynamic of the game.  However, five minutes into the half, Anderson’s cross was headed at goal at the far post by Williams and Vicario punched it well away.  Romero put a header well wide to Bergvall’s cross and Archie had a shot when Spurs worked the ball to him, but it was blocked and he swiped at the ball with his left foot when it came back to him, putting it well over the bar.

62 minutes had gone when it became 0-2 and the game was more or less gone.  Gibbs-White was afforded loads of space 30 yards form goal to move forward and release the ball to his left for Aina.  He took the ball past Porro, pulled it back to Gibbs-White who was 10 yards out totally unmarked and his side-footed shot went through Vicario.

Mathys Tel had taken a knock and he went off with Randal Kolo Muani replacing him and Richi also went off bringing Xavi Simons into play.  Many had wondered why he hadn’t started the match, but with Forest adopting a more defensive set-up then Atletico Madrid, the space for him to work with in midfield would have been limited. 

With 15 minutes left, Destiny got down the wing and put a low ball across the box which Lucas reached but he was stretching and couldn’t direct it on target.  Pape had a good chance a couple of minutes later, with a corner being cleared to him and he struck it on the volley, but as is our luck, it hit a defender and went just wide.  When Ndoye was fouled by Udogie, the yellow card came out, with similar tackles again having gone without so much as a free-kick.

Archie Gray got a great ovation when he was taken off to allow Conor Gallagher to come on, but it had little impact apart from on a few Forest players.  With a couple of minutes left, the misery was complete when a long ball forward from Sels went out to Williams on the left wing and he bent a low cross in that Awoniyi got to by running in behind Danso to volley in off his shin.  People had started leaving before the goal, but it was the signal for a mass exodus.

At 0-3 down, Spurs decided to have a go, with Dominic Solanke juggling the ball into a shooting position with his right footed volley forcing a good save out of Sels diving down to his left.  From the corner, he had a header as free as Jesus’ goal, but Sels once more beat it out and Kolo Muani couldn’t get his neck around the ball as it came off the keeper, putting it wide.  Anderson got away with what seemed to me to be his 100th foul of the day and when Pedro took the free-kick out on the left wing, it swung high and wide of the far post in what typified our game today. 

Confidence is so low that many of the players don’t want the ball or don’t move into areas where they can receive it and too much space is given to the opposition, making it simple to fins areas to work in or to score from.  Apparently, Igor Tudor had to go off after the game after he received news of a family bereavement and our sympathies go to him for that, but the board have a decision to make or rather they have delegated it to the officers appointed to deal with footballing matters to determine what happens now.  Whatever decision they come to, either Tudor or the next managerial appointment has to be the right one, as it is the most important in the club’s recent history.

• Tottenham’s run of 12 games without a win equals their record of the worst run in the club’s history going back to 1914.