Key events
“It was a nice evening,” Mickey van der Ven tells Sky. “It was a really important game for us, and a huge three points.”
He is asked to take us through the goal. “I saw Sonny got the ball. I thought: “Pass it to me, and I’ll just bang it.” And I saw it flying in, and then I thought about celebrating. It was my first goal in this stadium and I’ll never forget it.
“It was an important game for us. We knew it. Now we have to build on it.”
Werner has a chat too: “I do my best as I can do to assist, and help the team with those runs and those balls … I’m very happy that this guy [Van der Ven] scored a goal today.
“I have to smile because I am standing next to him … no I’m enjoying it a lot [at Spurs], with these teammates and in this stadium, yeah, I love it!”
The Spurs teammates have a chuckle as Werner gives Van der Ven his player of the match champagne. They are clearly good friends. How lovely!
Here’s Sam Dalling’s report from Sheffield United 2-2 Chelsea:
Post-match reaction, not to mention a match report, will be coming up.
Full-time! Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest
It’s over. Spurs are fourth, overtaking Villa in the Premier League table. Those Champions League readies are looking in reach.
Forest are 17th, only ahead of Luton on goal difference, and still in deep trouble.
95 min: Kulusevski skips away down the right. He tries to square for Son, whose running is as relentless as ever. Omobamidele intercepts the attempted cross, though, and Son runs into the goal and jumps up, hanging off the crossbar, signalling his frustration at not getting a tap-in for 4-1.
94 min: Hudson-Odoi now escapes down the left but his cross to the far post is overhit. Beyond the far post, in truth.
92 min: Sangare spreads a good looking ball out to the right wing for Forest from midfield. But Tottenham’s defending is solid, they win the ball back, and can quickly counter. Forest are not mounting any sustained pressure on Spurs.
90 min: We will have six minutes added on, minimum.
89 min: Mickey Van der Ven is named player of the match.
David Hytner had a chat with him this week:
88 min: Origi runs down what looks like a blind alley for Forest … but he wins a free-kick for a clumsy challenge by Romero. Hudson-Odoi will take. He bends it high over the crossbar – a naff effort.
87 min: Williams off, Montiel on for Forest. Nuno, arms folded, looks suitably far from gruntled on the touchline.
85 min: Son cracks a low, powerful, swerving shot that is fizzing into the bottom corner. Sels does brilliantly to get a strong left hand on it and push it out for a corner.
83 min: Forest can’t get anything going. Neither can Spurs.
It has been announced that Joe Kinnear has died. RIP
Everyone connected with Wimbledon was deeply saddened to hear the news that our former manager, Joe Kinnear, has passed away.
A true legend of the Club, Joe gave us some amazing memories that we treasure.
Our deepest condolences go to his family at this difficult time 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/goeKQbS935
— AFC Wimbledon (@AFCWimbledon) April 7, 2024
82 min: A defensive mix up nearly hands Reyna, the Borussia Dortmund loanee, a chance to shoot. But Spurs scramble the ball clear.
80 min: More changes by Forest. Danilo and Yates off. Reyna and Sangare come on. Can the new kids make a game of this?
78 min: Hojbjerg hits the free-kick. Corner for Spurs after it bounces off the wall. Sels claims the corner. Am I really tired, or is this game just terrible now?
77 min: Udogie and Son link on the Spurs left. Lo Celso is fouled by Danilo and is booked. It’s all a bit scruffy from both teams. But Tottenham have a free-kick in a dangerous spot for the visitors.
75 min: Maddison and Werner go off, for the aforementioned Kulusevski and Lo Celso.
73 min: Williams takes the set piece for Forest and it’s not a bad one, but Spurs clear their lines. Udogie and Werner are soon streaming into the Forest half on the counter. Tottenham have rediscovered the attacking verve that characterised the first 20 minutes or so. Kulusevski and Lo Celso are getting ready to come on.
72 min: Hudson-Odoi makes a dart down the Forest left. He plays the ball back from a teammate and gets a kick from Porro and falls to a heap off the pitch. It’s a free-kick in a wide but advanced area for Forest …
69 min: The pace and passion has gone out of this match again. Spurs are right on top though. Forest cannot get any attacking momentum at all. A Forest goal would sure make things interesting, mind you, if they could fluke one.
67 min: Forest’s Gibbs-White and Wood are withdrawn by Nuno. Origi and Dominguez on.
Full time: Sheffield United 2-2 Chelsea
66 min: “One of the many things I love about Ange is he isn’t afraid to make drastic changes at half-time,” emails Andrew. “Not the first time this season that his substitutions have had a massive and instant impact.”
64 min: Werner’s been a real nuisance for the Forest defence. He skips down the left wing again and sends over another trademark low cross, that evades everyone in the middle.
Sheffield United 2-2 Chelsea is a latest score in stoppage time at Bramall Lane … McBurnie with the equaliser for the Blades.
60 min: Forest push looking to immediately eat into that two-goal deficit. Elanga tries to meet a cross at the far post but balloons an attemped cutback for a teammate over the bar and out for a goal kick. Spurs attack fluently and the move ends with Maddison shooting, the ball deflecting out for a corner. In the next passage of play Hojbjerg shoots from distance but straight at Vicario.
Maddison escapes down the left after more decent work by Werner. He gets to the byline and cuts a decent ball back. It flicks off someone in the middle and falls to Porro, who crashes a half-volley into the net from inside the area! That’s more like it as far as the Spurs fans are concerned. Spurs have certainly raised their game since half time and Postecoglou must really have got “into them”.
Goal! 57 min: Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest (Porro)
Spurs are on fire!
55 min: Hudson-Odoi embarks on a run into a forest (pardon the pun) of Spurs defenders. He is duly crowded out. Spurs counter and Gibbs-White is booked for a strong challenge. Nuno not happy.
Son finds Van der Ven on the edge of the box. At least three Forest defenders are in close attendance, but they stand off long enough for the Dutchman to take a touch and then slam an unstoppable left-footed shot that flies into the top corner, to the right of Sels in the Forest goal. A cracking strike and a real net-buster. The keeper was perhaps a bit unsighted, but he wouldn’t have saved it anyway. Van der Ven celebrates with gusto. The Spurs fans reciprocate.
Goal! 52 min: Tottenham 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Van de Ven)
Boom!
50 min: Aina launches a long throw into the Spurs six-yard box. It’s flicked on to Wood, who in turn flicks it goalwards … Vicario makes a comfortable save. Before the throw, Gibbs-White was urging Murillo and someone else to come up for it and put the Spurs defence under plenty of pressure. Forest fancy this now.
48 min: It’s all happening now. Neco Williams darts down the right for Forest. He chips a good cross to the far post for Wood, who directs a header back across goal from an angle. It bounces just wide, but he’s offside anyway.
47 min: From a corner, the substitute Hojbjerg belts a brilliant, powerful, curling shot which is flying in the top corner … until Sels dives to his left and pulls off a stunning save!
Second half kick-off!
Postecoglou mixes it up and nearly gives Dan his wish: Bentancur and Hojbjerg are on. Sarr and Bissouma off. Will that be a better midfield recipe for Spurs?
“Shocked by how leggy Spurs look for a team that has no European football,” emails Dan. “The Forest goal highlighted the abysmal tracking and defending of Udogie and Bissouma, both trotting rather than sprinting with urgency to provide pressure. Maddison also has been underwhelming since his return from injury and is not controlling the tempo of games as he had at the start of the season. Think Spurs need to sub on Hojbjerg and Kulusevski at halftime to kickstart a charge.”
That very long-range Murillo effort, early in the half, was from 81 yards.
“He’s got to hit the target there, surely?” quips Roy Keane.
Any thoughts? Send me an email.
Check out Jamie Jackson’s match report from Manchester United 2-2 Liverpool:
Half-time! Tottenham 1-1 Nottingham Forest
A bit of an odd game, all told, but what do you expect at 6pm on a Sunday?
45 min +3: Forest win a free-kick in an advanced area. Gibbs-White hits a classy ball with the outside of his boot for Elanga to chase to the byline. The resulting cross is patted out by Vicario for a corner … but Spurs hold firm to end the first half.
44 min: Maddison and Yates clash off the ball in the Forest penalty area with the hosts on the attack. Yates goes down. He appears to ask the referee to check VAR, which as Bill Leslie says on commentary, is technically a bookable offence. And he’s already gone in the book. Anyway, there is no action by the VAR, and no action by the referee, and Yates smiles as he talks it over with Maddison and the referee, and then they all get on with the game.
41 min: Werner tries to run it out from the back. He turns back and passes to a teammate who is fouled by Wood. Forest look much more purposeful, with and without the ball, than they did early doors.
40 min: Bissouma tries to put his foot on it in midfield, but falls over and gifts possession to Forest. Thus, Tottenham’s last 15 minutes or so in this match is summed up. They were right on top, but now Forest are the better side.
37 min: Postecoglou, the Tottenham manager, is a visibly concerned figure on the sidelines. Now Elanga runs at Spurs and shoots low, but straight at Vicario, who saves easily.
34 min: Woods hits the post for Forest from about two and a half yards! Aina escapes down the Forest left, runs into the area, and squares into space around the penalty spot. Yates slides in to sidefoot an effort which is going to nestle in the bottom corner but is well saved by a diving Vicario. Wood then has what looks a straightforward task to follow up and score, but he hammers a shot against the post! Surely he should have just lifted that gently rather than belt it.
33 min: Forest have a corner. It’s repelled once by Spurs, and Hudson-Odoi nearly slips with Son challenging him … but he keeps his feet, and Forest come again.
31 min: Son feeds Werner, in space again down the left yet again. Teammates are waiting in the middle, and the German tries a first-time cross which comes off the top of his boot and flies over the bar. The fans howl.
