The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Defensive duo find net to see Spurs to victory
Tottenham took control of the top-four race after second-half goals by Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro downed relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest 3-1.
After Aston Villa had dropped points at home to Brentford on Saturday, Spurs knew a victory yesterday would send them fourth on goal difference and with a game in hand, but Chris Wood’s first-half strike ensured it was level at the break.
Murillo’s own-goal put Tottenham ahead, although they were perhaps fortunate to still have 11 players on the pitch for the second half after James Maddison caught Ryan Yates off the ball towards the end of the first 45.
Maddison avoided punishment and helped the hosts claim a crucial win as they struck twice in five second-half minutes via fine finishes by Van de Ven and Porro to fire Ange Postecoglou’s team above their Champions League rivals.
This game was originally scheduled for tonight but moved forward due to a planned train strike and in the early hours of yesterday a man was stabbed to death near the stadium. Despite roads around the ground being closed for a police investigation, the fixture went ahead and it represented Nuno Espirito Santo’s first return to Tottenham since he was sacked in 2021.
The hosts went ahead on 15 minutes, moving the ball out to the left where Timo Werner produced a dangerous cross, which Murillo miscued past Matz Sels.
However Forest were level 12 minutes later, Neco Williams and Anthony Elanga combined down the right before the latter crossed in for Wood, who drilled through the legs of Porro to make it 1-1.
Tottenham seized the momentum with two goals in the space of five minutes at the start of the second half. Both were from unlikely sources with Van de Ven blasting home from the edge of the area for his first goal at Spurs’ home ground in the 53rd minute.
Soon after, full-back Porro rivalled his fellow defender for finish of the night with a sweet halfvolley after excellent work by Maddison, who skipped away down the left and had his cross flicked on by Bentancur for Porro to fire home.