Anthony Elanga scored the only goal as Nottingham Forest secured victory at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day.
Nuno Espirito Santo is back to haunt his former side and his current side now climb to third in the Premier League thanks to Elanga's first-half opener, which reduced their usual threat on the counter.
Meanwhile, Tottenham's woes following their 6-3 defeat by Liverpool last weekend have only been compounded by this trip to the East Midlands, as Ange Postecoglou's men continue to languish in the bottom half of the table after another lackluster outing.
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Sky Sports News' Patrick Rowe and Anton Toloui give their verdict on Tottenham's 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest.
Brennan Johnson, who received a hostile reception on his return to the City Ground, went closest for the visitors but saw his fine shot saved by a diving Matz Sells.
Heung-Min Son messes with Ola Ain
Tottenham started the game well – Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-Min Son looked lively – but after the restart they were out of action and changed little for the rest of the game.
It was another afternoon to forget for Postecoglou and his team as he watched from the sidelines with his head in his hands as Grandfather Spence was sent off against his former team.
It was another day to celebrate for Forest. They are now four wins on the bounce and show no signs of slowing down in their quest for European football.
Elanga: We took advantage of how Tottenham plays
Nottingham Forest forward Anthony Elanga talk to Amazon:
“Teams can have the ball as much as they want, but it's about who wins.
“The manager is always able to adapt and we did it brilliantly.
“There was space behind. There was a lot of space in the game, that's how Tottenham play – with a high line.”
Man of the Murillo Mountains
Sky Sports' Patrick Rowe:
Forest secured all three points and a clean sheet to go with it against Tottenham – but they couldn't have done it without Murillo.
As Postecoglou rightly pointed out, his side possessed the threat in the final third but were unable to capitalize on it in the end. And that's because of Forest's man mountain at the back.
Nottingham Forest defender Murillo has impressed Tottenham
His final numbers came after nine clearances, three blocked shots, three tackles and five tackles won.
If there was room, he would close it. When it came to winning the ball, there was no contest.
The home crowd serenaded him throughout the game. He is a fan favorite and it is clear why, the partnership with Nikola Milenkovic is the foundation on which this historic season for the club is built.
Nuno: Our defense is special
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo:
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Nuno Espirito Santo says third in the league is not significant but says his Nottingham Forest side believe they can compete with the big teams
“It was a good game. We talked before about the quality in this Spurs team. They score a lot of goals and the way we started was nice and brave.
“We came out well and in the second half we started better. In the last moments it was about defense and belief. The commitment of the players to avoid danger was good. The center of defense is huge for us. It is really special.”
Postecoglou: Another disappointing loss
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou:
“Disappointing, but it was a close game. We had opportunities to win something. A disappointing goal, but apart from that, the boys tried hard.
“We created some good ones and weren't able to capitalize. The keeper made some good saves to keep them in the game.”
Bad to worse for Tottenham
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Ange Postecoglou was not in the press room long after Tottenham's 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest and said they are asking a lot from this group of players
Patrick Rowe from Sky Sports
“It was his ankle and he said he couldn't go on. We'll have to see,” Postecoglou said after Radu Dragusin was forced off in the defeat to Forest.
After a brief injury update and describing how “disappointing” it was to leave the City Ground empty-handed, Postecoglou was nowhere to be seen in the press room.
The Tottenham boss took just 150 seconds to leave the building and it was clear he didn't want to answer many questions.
An injury to the only recognized centre-back left in the matchday squad, a red card for Spence who has shown promise in his last three outings and his side still living in the bottom half.
The situation for Tottenham is getting bleaker by the day, and the upcoming match against Wolves, which is only three days away, looks like a must-win game.