Nottingham Forest’s grit and character saw them over the line, despite a Tottenham Hotspur onslaught, as the Reds returned to third place in the Premier League with a 2-1 victory in North London. George Edwards was at the match
Character. Spirit. Defiance. Everything about Nottingham Forest’s season so far was evident in victory at Tottenham Hotspur, returning them to third place in the Premier League; somewhere they are determined to make their own.
The statisticians will be scratching their heads at how the Reds claimed victory last night. On paper, a barrage against Forest, but football is about far more than just numbers.
It’s about wanting it and earning it, and those qualities exemplify exactly why Forest are third and Spurs are 16th.
Forest had overcome and bounced back from every blip so far this season with conviction and quality, making writing off the Reds a dangerous position to take. Questions of bottle and pressure were being asked of them for the first real time this campaign; Forest silencing their doubters wonderfully.
There is no pressure on them given the pre-season expectation, but there is no doubt that their target now is to bring Champions League football back to the City Ground. Beating Spurs and the wider message it would send to the league felt essential to that goal, rising Forest back above the chasing pack and standing their ground.
They didn’t do it the easy way, nor the pretty way, but that signifies the Forest way quite perfectly. Nothing comes easy to this football club, but it means that when success is achieved, it just means more.
Nuno spoke of his side being “fortunate” to hold out for victory, but fortune only favours those who merit it, and despite Spurs’ possession and constant balls into the box, Forest’s defiance rose tallest.
They don’t do nerves, or doubt or anxiety. With their rivals towards the summit all winning earlier this weekend, they certainly could have, but Forest rise to every challenge and every obstacle, believing they have it in them to overcome it, along with a clinical nature in both boxes that makes them such a hard side to conquer.
Their three most reliable figures this season starred in victory — Matz Sels, Nikola Milenkovic and Chris Wood at their best again, a sturdy spine that has propped Forest up time and time again.
Wood’s goal signified the end of a seven-game ‘drought’, a brutal header showcasing his positional excellence and ability to score from the very slim pickings he often gets provided with up front.
However, his wider performance could not go unnoticed, winning defensive tackles, jumping for every duel and never stopping running despite being on his own return to full fitness.
Behind him, Forest’s Serbian stalwart superbly batted away nearly everything thrown at him, with Forest consistently struggling to nullify the host’s threat in wide areas.
The Reds defensive battle was made more difficult at the break as Nuno’s formation change and substitution of Anthony Elanga gave them no outlet or way out, with the ball coming straight back every time Forest thought they’d cleared.
But Milenkovic and co. dug deep and put everything on the line, with super Sels coming in clutch again. Four superb saves and a commanding presence that makes Forest seem unreachable at times.
And it wasn’t just those three, it was everyone.
Harry Toffolo will never be Forest’s first or even second choice full-back while they are in the Premier League. But his performance after being drafted in was a testament to the character and selflessness of an incredible ambassador and symbol of Nottingham Forest, and he deserved his moment.
His performance wasn’t faultless, but his agile and vital goal-line clearance in the 63rd minute was a moment he earned and was celebrated by him like the juncture he had been waiting for all season.
It summed up Forest’s character and togetherness. That a man so cast away from first-team action can come in and put everything on the line for the cause, so desperate to get Forest over the line.
Elliot Anderson may thank a deflection and Vicario for his opening goal, but his instinct to shoot when the chance arose deserves credit, Forest scoring yet another set-piece goal.
Yet another two set-piece goals in fact — last season their Achilles heel, this season a robust strength.
Forest are a team made up of grafters. Players who do the simple things consistently well and will give everything and more to the badge they represent. No negative will define them and no challenge is insurmountable.
The end is now near. A season with so much positivity generated, so many cherished memories created and so much history made has its fairytale ending set up perfectly.
A semi-final against the modern force that is Manchester City, then five league games to secure their fate. They won’t make it easy — Forest never do — but their capability to never be beaten will live on until the end, and their continuing success makes it hard to not have confidence that the top five, and the FA Cup, are firmly within reach.
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