Tottenham’s troubled season plumbed new depths as goals by Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi sent relegation rivals Nottingham Forest above Spurs with victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs fans had gathered in numbers outside the club’s home in an attempt to inspire their players to end their status as the only Premier League side yet to win in the top flight in 2026, but many had left by the time Awoniyi struck from Neco Williams’ inviting cross with four minutes remaining.
The unmarked Gibbs-White fired in from Callum Hudson Odoi’s cut-back pass 17 minutes after the break, doubling a lead given to Forest when Igor Jesus headed in Williams’s corner in the 45th minute to continue a memorable week for the side who won on penalties at Midtjylland in the Europa League last 16 on Thursday.
Interim Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor was only appointed on February 14 but the former Croatia international’s position is certain to come under scrutiny before his team, who have taken one point from his five league games in charge, visit Sunderland on April 12 (14:00 GMT).
Third-bottom West Ham are immediately behind Spurs by a point after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Analysis: Will Tottenham sack Igor Tudor?
Tottenham fans saw glimpses of a possible revival when their team drew 1-1 at reigning champions Liverpool last Sunday through Richarlison’s 90th-minute goal.
Spurs went out of the Champions League 7-5 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday but won the second leg 3-2 at home, easing a modicum of the pressure on Tudor as part of a pair of results that have not helped the club, former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes.
“That was a poor result at Liverpool because a point was no good and it kept him in his job [and sustained] a really bad place for the club,” Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Performances against an under-par Atletico Madrid and Liverpool don’t change anything overnight. They’re a rudderless ship.
“He’s changed the system three times during the game and changed personnel numerous times again.
“That’s been the story of his regime. Has he just fallen upon two results this week that have just kept him in a job?”
The streets of Tottenham pic.twitter.com/YpoBmw4Xzx
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) March 22, 2026
Tudor was sacked by Juventus earlier this season but was the surprise choice to temporarily replace Thomas Frank, who was dismissed after eight months in charge as Tottenham’s slump continued apace.
“Without,” Robinson replied when he was asked whether Tottenham would be better with or without Tudor.
“I’ve said that all along. Tactically, every single game, he’s set up in a different way with different personnel.
“Players are looking over to the bench going ‘where am I playing?’ They get to the final third and there’s no quality, no movement.
“There’s no fluidity, no creativity and they just look devoid of ideas. They are bang in trouble. I think [Tudor’s position is] going to be a conversation, I really do.
“You look around the stadium and it’s a sad sight, it really is. There are more empty blue seats than full ones.
“The Nottingham Forest fans are swinging scarves around their head and delighted. This is a massive three points for them.
“When you look at it, this is a nice place to come [for opposition teams].”
Tottenham vs Forest: Why Vitor Pereira’s team excelled
Forest have suffered comparable turbulence and are on their fourth manager of the campaign in Vitor Pereira, with Ange Postecoglou – who was sacked by Tottenham after the end of last season – among the coaches to have briefly taken charge.
West Ham’s defeat means that Forest are three points above the Hammers with a nine-goal superiority before their final seven matches of the season, having held off a bright start by Tottenham.
“I was quite complimentary of the way [Spurs] played in the first half,” said Robinson, who played in Tottenham’s 2008 EFL Cup final win in his fourth and final season at the club.
“They were pressing and there was a lot of fight to win the ball back. But when you break it down to the quality and what the actual end product is, there’s been nothing.
“I’ve seen nothing from them today in terms of a team structure performance, a tactical performance. Nottingham Forest are a better team.
“[For] the way Nottingham Forest have approached this – the structure and their game plan – they’ve come here and done a job.”
“The boys were incredible, we defended with our lives today”
Morgan Gibbs-White on Forest’s huge victory over Tottenham Hotspur 👏 pic.twitter.com/udhd0LoWzG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 22, 2026
Robinson praised Tottenham fans as “brilliant” and “absolutely superb”. “As quickly as they came in, they are leaving even quicker,” he said after the third goal.
“The Tottenham fans came here full of hope, full of expectation, full of aspiration to get behind a team who want to stay in the Premier League.
“Nottingham Forest have drained that out of everyone. They’ve been excellent – rigid and hard to beat – and they’ve hit Tottenham where it hurts [for Awoniyi’s goal].
“Credit to Vitor Pereira – he’s stuck to what he knew. The centre-half partnership [between Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic], the goalkeeper [Matz Sels], [midfielders] Elliott Anderson and [Ibrahim] Sangare have been pivotal to this win.
“Their base – the solid structure – is where their success has come from. Where is it [for Tottenham]?
“This is nothing new [for Spurs]. This has been coming for a long, long time. You don’t circle a drain without falling in at some point. The [Europa League] trophy last season papered over a lot of cracks.”
Forest are next in action away to Porto in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on April 9 (20:00 GMT), then host Aston Villa in the Premier League on April 12 (14:00).
Full-time fist-pumps. 😍 pic.twitter.com/VPWQRSaiD5
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) March 22, 2026
Tottenham team vs Forest
Tottenham made three changes to their starting side from the 3-2 home win over Atletico Madrid in Champions League on Wednesday, going out 7-5 on aggregate despite that last-16 victory.
In attack, Richarlison returned from suspension and Dominic Solanke had recovered from injury. Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani made way.
Kevin Danso replaced Radu Dragusin in defence. Midfielder Joao Palhinha returned from a two-game injury absence on the bench, with left-back Souza – ineligible against Atleti – also a substitute.
Tottenham starting XI: Guglielmo Vicario, Kevin Danso, Richarlison, Mathys Tel, Archie Gray, Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, Pedro Porro, Djed Spence, Pape Matar Sarr, Micky van de Ven
Spurs substitutes: Antonin Kinsky, Radu Dragusin, Joao Palhinha, Xavi Simons, Destiny Udogie, Lucas Bergvall, Conor Gallagher, Souza, Randal Kolo Muani
Nottingham Forest team vs Spurs
Forest made 10 changes from their 2-1 win in Denmark.
Milenkovic kept his place from that contest, which his side won 3-0 in the shootout.
Nottingham Forest starting XI: Matz Sels, Neco Williams, Murillo, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus, Omari Hutchinson, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina
Forest substitutes: Stefan Ortega, Morato, Taiwo Awoniyi, Nicolas Dominguez, Ryan Yates, James McAtee, Matz Sels, Dilane Bakwa, Luca Netz
Tottenham vs Nottingham Forest stats
- Spurs have lost their last four Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, having won six in a row against them before that
- They have drawn five and lost eight times on their winless league run, only ever going longer without winning from April to November 1912 (13) and from December 1934 to April 1935 (16)
- No other side is yet to win in the top flight in 2026. Three sides have had longer runs without a win from the start of a calendar year, all of whom were relegated (Sunderland, 17 in 2002/03; Derby, 18 in 2007/08; Middlesbrough, 14 in 2016/17)
- They have conceded more goals from outside the box than any other Premier League side this season, with their 11 against their most in a campaign since 2007/08 (18)
- Only at Southampton (5) do Forest have as many away wins in the Premier League as they do at Tottenham (5), winning this exact fixture 2-1 last season
- Forest had been winless in seven Premier League games (D4 L3), while only bottom side Wolves (15) have failed to score more in different games than Forest this term (14)
- Pereira is unbeaten in his four Premier League games against Tottenham (W2 D2), with one of his two points while in charge of Wolves this season coming away at Spurs
