Nottingham Forest stunned Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-1 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, climbing back up to third place in the Premier League table. The visitors struck twice in the opening 16 minutes and held firm despite a late goal from Richarlison to claim all three points in front of a crowd of 59,314.

Forest made a dream start when Elliot Anderson’s fifth-minute strike took a deflection and beat Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Just over ten minutes later, Chris Wood doubled the lead with a powerful header, capitalizing on Anthony Elanga’s pinpoint cross. Forest’s clinical early finishing gave them a commanding advantage by halftime.

Spurs struggled to respond in the first half and went into the break trailing 2-0. Although they controlled much of the second half, they were frustrated by Forest’s compact defending and the safe hands of goalkeeper Matz Sels, who produced several key saves, including one from a sharp Richarlison header.

Richarlison eventually found the net in the 87th minute, converting Pedro Porro’s cross with a close-range header. It was a small consolation for the Brazilian forward, who has battled injuries throughout the season but now has a goal every 95 minutes in league play. His late strike gave Spurs a glimmer of hope, setting up a tense finale.

Despite late pressure and seven minutes of added time, Tottenham couldn’t find an equalizer. Forest expertly ran down the clock with smart game management, including a series of corner-flag plays and tactical substitutions. A late yellow card for Matz Sels for time-wasting only underscored their determination to see out the win.

The result leaves Tottenham languishing in 16th place, while Forest leap back into the top three with a crucial victory. Questions will again be asked of Spurs’ defensive stability, as they’ve now conceded more goals than all but six other teams in the league. For Forest, the performance reinforces their growing reputation as one of the Premier League’s most resilient and well-drilled sides.