With a 2-1 triumph over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday in North London, Nottingham Forest raised their hopes for a Champions League place and climbed to third in the Premier League rankings.
Early goals by Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood gave Spurs their eighteenth loss of the season—the most by any team outside the relegation zone.
Starting the game well, Forest opened the score in just the fifth minute as Anderson’s explosive volleyball deflected Rodrigo Bentancur before finding the net.
From Anthony Elanga’s precise assist, Wood increased the advantage in the sixteen-minute slamming home his nineteen league goal of the season. After the Premier League announced a temporary suspension resulting from a fire alarm at the VAR Hub in Stockley Park, the second half started without VAR.
“A fire alarm at the VAR Hub at Stockley Park will cause the match to be running without VAR until further notice,” the Premier League said in a statement.
But VAR was active earlier in the game and was instrumental in preventing Wood from scoring a goal once he confirmed he was offside—an event that happened before to system suspension.
Tottenham’s problems persisted as they failed to capitalize on their recent Europa League triumph, whereby Friday’s victory over Eintracht Frankfurt guaranteed their semi-final spot. Spurs missed their chances even though they controlled possession (70%), generated more opportunities, and registered more attempts on target.
Forest, who started the game in sixth place, has now maintained his ambition of making it to Europe’s premier league somewhat lively.
