Nottingham edge out Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to close in on sealing precious Champions League spot; with five games to go, boss Santo wants team to go all out
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo. Pic/AFP
Nottingham Forest beat struggling Tottenham 2-1 on Monday, bouncing back from two defeats to strengthen their push for a Champions League spot while piling the pressure on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.
Forest came into the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in sixth place after losses to Aston Villa and Everton. But early goals from Elliot Anderson (5th minute) and top-scorer Chris Wood (16’) settled their nerves and they held on tenaciously despite a late goal from Richarlison (87’) to climb to third in the EPL table.
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Nott Forest’s Chris Wood celebrates his goal against Tottenham on Monday. Pic/Getty Images
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo was pleased to see his side win this late in the season, as fatigue ways heavy. “It is about getting through it, especially in these moments of the season when there is fatigue, not only physical but mental. All these things made the team go back a bit [performance-wise, in previous games],” he told Sky Sports.
Ahead of their next fixture against Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup, the Portuguese manager also admitted that their destiny is in their own hands.
“It’s about us. We have a big desire to compete and we are in the mix against big teams and that can only make us proud. We embrace the challenge,” said the Forest boss.
The competition is fierce for the top five places that will guarantee qualification for the Champions League next season. Just three points separate Forest from Aston Villa in seventh spot, with five games remaining for all the contenders.
Forest, who finished 17th last season, are two-time European champions, but have not played in the continent’s top club competition since the 1980/81 season.
Meanwhile, Spurs’ 18th defeat of a miserable Premier League season leaves them just two places above the relegation zone.
A disappointed Postecoglou said his side had dominated Monday’s game but had “conceded poor goals and given ourselves a mountain to climb.”
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