Nottingham Forest returned to form in style with a crushing 3-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.
Callum Hudson-Odoi opened the scoring after a woeful pass from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario put Archie Gray into trouble, allowing the excellent Ibrahima Sangare to pinch the ball before squaring to his teammate to tap home.
The winger added Forest’s second goal on 50 minutes, after his attempted cross looped over the Spurs keeper, and into the far corner of the net. Sangare had the last word, rounding off a fine victory with a rocket strike from the edge of the box.
As a result, Spurs missed the chance to climb into the top half of the Premier League table, while Forest moved five points clear of the relegation zone.
After the game, Spurs manager Thomas Frank told NBC: “It’s hugely disappointing. That was a bad performance, especially first-half. Overall, especially after the first goal, we looked disjointed.
“Also, after the second goal, it looked disjointed after that; didn’t win enough duels, and we couldn’t hit each other – it seems like we gave the ball away every single time we won it back throughout the game. That doesn’t help to win a football match.”
Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche told BBC's Match of the Day: "Very pleased, the work the players have been putting in has been fantastic. I thought the football today was a really good mix. We know they have talent but the glue that held us together was the work ethic.
"It's choosing when to press. It's the football intelligence to see a bad ball and when someone is under pressure. Seeing it and activating it is something these lads are improving at."
Nottingham Forest ratings
John Victor – 7/10: A surprisingly quiet day for the Brazilian stopper, who was seldom tested. However, when forced into action, he didn’t put a step wrong.
Nicolo Savona – 7/10: Enjoyed an excellent first-half, and very nearly grabbed an assist with his floated cross to Igor Jesus, who struck the post.
Nikola Milenkovic – 7/10: Solid at the back for Forest, stepping in well with vital interceptions and clearances.
Murillo – 8/10: Just as impressive defensively as his centre-back partner, but the 23-year-old's composure on the ball was crucial for Forest, as he started severa
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