Nottingham Forest secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground, with Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring twice and Ibrahim Sangaré adding a third. The win marks Forest's sixth triumph in their last eight matches across all competitions, moving them five points clear of the relegation zone. Tottenham suffered their fourth league defeat in seven games, hampered by defensive errors.
Match Overview
Nottingham Forest hosted Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League fixture on December 14, 2025, at the City Ground, kicking off at 14:00 GMT. Forest dominated the game, capitalizing on Tottenham's mistakes to secure a 3-0 win.
Key Moments
The scoring opened in the 28th minute when Ibrahim Sangaré dispossessed Archie Gray and set up Callum Hudson-Odoi for a tap-in past goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Earlier, Sangaré had headed against the post. Five minutes after halftime, Hudson-Odoi curled a superb shot into the far corner from the left sideline. Sangaré sealed the victory in the 79th minute with a powerful first-time strike from distance.
Defensive lapses proved costly for Tottenham, including a cross from Hudson-Odoi that sailed over Vicario and into the net, though it was not counted as an own goal in the final tally.
Managerial Reactions
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank described the performance as 'hugely annoying,' stating, 'I had such a good feeling going into this game. Then we deliver this performance, which is not good enough.' He noted the team looked disjointed after the first goal and threw away the ball 20 times with simple passes. Nottingham Forest's Sean Dyche praised his side, saying, 'The lads were outstanding from start to finish.'
Team News and Lineups
Forest made eight changes from their midweek Europa League win, with John Victor in goal due to Matz Sels' groin issue. Starting XI: John Victor, Nicolo Savona, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Neco Williams, Omari Hutchinson, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangaré, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Igor Jesus.
Tottenham started Rodrigo Bentancur and Randal Kolo Muani, with several players sidelined by injury, including Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski. Starting XI: Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Xavi Simons, Archie Gray, Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison.
Stats and Context
Forest are unbeaten in their last 11 league games where they scored (W6 D5). Tottenham have scored in all away games this season but have the largest overperformance in goals versus expected goals (25 scored vs. 15 xG). Richarlison leads Tottenham's contributions with 8 goal involvements.
Upcoming: Forest face Fulham away on December 22; Tottenham host Liverpool on December 20.
