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Tottenham and Manchester City are now tied for the top spots in the Champions League standings. This was thanks to goals from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski, securing a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Despite Yves Bissouma’s ejection in the second half, Tottenham still came out victorious.
Following a balanced first half, the away team took the lead when Kulusevski passed to Richarlison who scored with a header. Kulusevski then went on to score again, increasing the lead.
Bissouma’s red card in the 70th minute, due to a reckless tackle on Ryan Yates, led to a tense last 20 minutes. However, Guglielmo Vicario managed to avoid any major damage as Tottenham achieved consecutive wins for the first time since October.
Son Heung-min made a break on the inside left channel in the beginning, but his shot from close range was effectively blocked by Matt Turner, the goalkeeper for Forest.
In the beginning, Tottenham had control of the game. However, their slow and methodical approach was not effective in breaking through Forest’s defense. It was actually the home team who had a promising opportunity to score first after 18 minutes.
Morgan Gibbs-White made a swift move from the defensive position and passed a precise ball to Anthony Elanga on the right. However, Vicario was fast to come off his line and make the save.
Tottenham was at risk from the Forest counter-attack, and another well-placed pass towards Yates narrowly missed its mark, serving as another caution for the visitors.
Brennan Johnson almost scored against his previous team with a flicked shot that was saved by Turner in the middle of the half. Ben Davies then headed the corner kick without causing any danger.
Pedro Porro missed the target from a pass by Son, but it was Tottenham who scored first just before the end of the first half.
Kulusevski quickly maneuvered the ball on the right side before cutting back and crossing it with his left foot. Richarlison then headed it into the goal from a short distance.
In the 57th minute, Forest believed they had tied the game after Elanga scored from Neco Williams’ cross. However, VAR review deemed the goal to be offside. The second half started cautiously.
Son made Turner make another save before Tottenham increased their lead. The Forest goalkeeper, under pressure from Son, made a bad clearance that went directly to Kulusevski. He took advantage of the opportunity and scored with his right foot.
Forest’s chances of a recovery were lifted when Yves Bissouma received a direct red card for a forceful tackle on Yates, following a VAR review, with 20 minutes left in the game.
Tottenham responded by replacing Richarlison with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in order to bolster their midfield.
Williams had a shot that was redirected off target, and then Toffolo attempted a header from the subsequent corner, but it was miraculously saved by Vicario. In the end, Williams hit the post in the final moments of the game, but unfortunately, they were unable to score.
Source: independent.co.uk
