Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank was left visibly frustrated after his side slipped to a 3-0 Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. A result he described as a backward step in his team’s recent progress. Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi scored twice, and Ibrahim Sangaré added a third.
The opening goal came from a poor pass by Guglielmo Vicario into Archie Gray, who was facing his own goal on the edge of the penalty area. The ball put the young midfielder under pressure, and Ibrahim Sangaré reacted quickly to win possession. Sangare took the ball away from Vicario and squared it for Callum Hudson-Odoi, who tapped into an empty net.
Vicario’s problems continued after the break in the 50th minute. Hudson-Odoi attempted to send a cross into the box, but the goalkeeper misread the flight of the ball. It floated over Vicario and dropped into the far corner, giving the winger his second goal of the afternoon.
In the 79th minute, Sangaré picked up the ball outside the box and struck a powerful shot that bent away from Vicario. The ball clipped the inside of the post and went in, sealing a convincing win and moving Sean Dyche’s side five points clear of the relegation zone.
Frank described his team’s first-half display as particularly disappointing. “It was hugely disappointing. It’s burning, annoying. That was a bad performance. Especially the first half, overall we looked disjointed,” he told reporters after the game.
Tottenham had been aiming for a third straight win, having recently beaten Brentford and Slavia Praha in the Champions League. “We didn’t win enough duels … We need to work to be more consistent. It’s two steps forward and a step back today,” the coach said.
Forest moved five points clear of the Premier League relegation zone. The victory is their fourth win in six league games. “Massive credit to the players for the way they’re absorbing what we’re trying to do and activating it,” Manager Sam Dyche said.
“There’s still work to do, but it’s a much better league table. But it’s got to continue, of course.”
The result leaves Tottenham 11th on the table with 22 points. Nottingham Forest are 16th with 18 points.
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