Nottingham Forest’s defensive dominance earned them yet another 1-0 win, overcoming Tottenham Hotspur on a misty City Ground Boxing Day evening. George Edwards was at the match
When Nottingham Forest’s towering, sturdy number four pulls on his shirt and is stood, hungrily, on the sidelines, poised to make his entrance, the result is never in doubt.
Morato’s introduction and Forest’s second-half performance against Tottenham illustrated exactly why they now sit comfortably in the Premier League’s top four. Their defence is elite, silencing the Premier League’s best attack with seeming ease, with the manager’s philosophy and organisation so ingrained that it becomes second nature.
Djed Spence’s second yellow card just 75 seconds from the end elucidated Spurs Trentside frustrations; they just did not know what to do or where to go to breach Forest’s steadfast defence.
Son silent, Solanke stagnated & Spurs suffocated
The Reds’ defensive unit showed exceptional performances all round. Forest don’t panic when they don’t have the ball, they relish it. Relish the art of defending, defending cleanly and defending to attack, shown by their countless counterattacking goals this season.
Neco Williams’ reintroduction to the side seemed harsh on Álex Moreno, but his defensive ability supersedes the Spaniard’s, with four of Forest’s seven clean sheets coming with the Welshman in the side, including each of their last three.
Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo once again looked unimpeachable, and Ola Aina did one of the best jobs on Son Heung Min you’ll ever see. And when Spurs did break through, Forest’s in-form number one stepped forward once again, making four exceptional saves to secure victory; his stop against Johnson in the second half was truly remarkable.
As the famous song goes, the mist was well and truly rolling in on a historic Boxing Day evening, Forest’s first festive home game in front of their supporters since 2017.
A night that brought yet more history, with Forest winning four consecutive top-flight games for the first time since 1995, the win also meaning Forest have taken points off every side they’ve faced since promotion in 2022.
Last season, 3-2 seemed to be the scoreline, as Forest proved time and again that their ability to score goals was superseded by their dismal defensive performances. This term it’s 1-0, with the chant ‘1-0 to the famous team’ lovingly relayed five times in victory to date.
The key to that formula is to excel in both boxes. Another tight game with not much to choose from as Forest and Spurs had three and four shots on target respectively, the Reds were able to be sturdy at one end and clinical at the other.
Clinical is the word to describe an in-form Anthony Elanga. Out of form, he can be rash, making the wrong choice with the ball at his feet, often looking like he wishes the ground would swallow him up. But in his purple patches he is something special, strutting into penalty areas around the country with swagger and assurance.
The winner was his third goal in three games, all three postage stamp finishes, all with his left foot and earning his side nine points. He, much like this Forest team, looks unstoppable at this moment, thoroughly enjoying the ride but constantly focusing on progression and the next step.
That’s a message that comes from the very top. Nuno is very keen, where other managers may be hesitant, to share his delight and joy that Forest are where they are, whilst constantly having an eye on the next obstacle to overcome and how he and his side will achieve it. In some style, he showed his previous performances employers exactly what they were missing.
The lack of pressure on Forest will only help them grow
From the fans there is no pressure, with Forest now amassing more points than they did last season, they are just joyfully watching their team play with such confidence and fluency.
From the media there is no pressure, with many billing the game as ‘Spurs beaten by Forest’ rather than Forest overpowering their London opponents, despite the Reds clearly being the better of the two sides this season.
It looked a daunting prospect pre-match, but Forest’s attitude and abundant quality earned them a result that they thoroughly merited and will remember forever, as this famous campaign takes yet another exciting turn.
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