Forest win sinks Tottenham closer to relegation danger
At a glance
Forest move above Tottenham into 16th, three points clear of drop zone
Igor Jesus heads Forest in front just before half-time
Morgan Gibbs-White adds a second and substitute Taiwo Awoniyi wraps up win
Spurs just a point above the relegation zone and yet to win a league game in 2026
Nottingham Forest took a giant leap to safety and plunged Tottenham further into relegation danger with a devasting victory at Spurs.
Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi settled the basement battle to lift Forest three points clear of the Premier League's drop zone.
Forest leapfrogged Spurs into 16th to leave the hosts a point above the bottom three after West Ham's defeat at Aston Villa.
It casts further doubt on the future of Tottenham interim manager Igor Tudor, who has only been in charge seven games.
Tottenham failed to sign Gibbs-White last summer, a transfer saga which left Forest threatening Spurs with legal action.
Fastforward seven-and-a-half months, the England midfielder's goal could have helped pushed them closer to the Championship with a huge result for Forest - their first win in the Premier League under manager Vitor Pereira after he joined in February.
Spurs have now not won in the top flight since 28 December, have lost six of their past seven league games and are falling apart under Tudor.
The Croatian has lost five of his seven games in charge and Sunday's result could be the most damaging of all.
Tottenham were on top in the first half but Igor Jesus - who had earlier turned the ball onto his own crossbar while defending - nodded in the opener in first-half stoppage time.
Mathys Tel hit the bar before the break as Spurs searched for an instant response but fell further behind after 62 minutes when Gibbs-White was left unmarked in the area and his shot from Callum Hudson-Odoi's cutback went through Guglielmo Vicario's hands.
Once Spurs substitute Lucas Bergvall sliced a good chance wide there was no coming back and Awoniyi added a third with three minutes left, leaving Tottenham with seven games to save their Premier League future.
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Where do Tottenham go from here?
It could not have been any more damaging if they had tried and a sixth defeat in seven Premier League games pushes them closer to relegation.
Tudor's position will now surely be in doubt just over a month after being appointed as Thomas Frank's replacement.
The former Croatia defender has earned just a point from his five Premier League games and suffered a humiliation against Forest - who had not won in the Premier League for two months.
Tottenham are in disarray and could suffer relegation from the top flight for the first time since 1977.
It could have been scripted. Spurs did start with some purpose following the backing from the fans but that evaporated in the second half.
Igor Jesus' goal silenced Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Gibbs-White's goal was the cue for some fans to leave.
Awoniyi added more pain but after just two home league wins all season - against Brighton and Brentford - it should not come as a surprise.
Tottenham were cheered on and booed off and their Premier League fate is increasingly in the balance.
Nottingham Forest analysis: Pereira's first Premier League win for 11 months so crucial for Forest
'Be yourself' - Pereira on how he inspired Forest win
Pereira had not won in the Premier League since last April.
He left Wolves in November winless this season and it has taken five games to take three top-flight points at Foirest but they will be huge for their season.
Battling defeats against Liverpool and Brighton deserved more while a draw at Manchester City showed the squad's quality and grit.
It was Forest's second 3-0 win against Tottenham in the league this season, their first coming under Sean Dyche in December, and it was just as deserved.
At Tottenham they weathered any, light, storm in the first 40 minutes and rarely looked in trouble after Igor Jesus' opener.
Igor Jesus has scored just three goals in the Premier League this season since a £10m move from Botafogo last summer.
All of them have earned Forest points, with a 1-0 win at Wolves and January's 2-0 victory at Brentford. Sunday's header was his 13th goal of the campaign, with seven coming in the Europa League.
None will be as crucial as this one as Forest build momentum following Thursday's penalty shootout win at Midtjylland which earned a Europa League quarter-final with Porto.
There will be a rock solid belief they will stay up now with West Ham and Tottenham potentially left to fight it out for survival.
How 'all-action' Anderson inspired Forest win
What's next for these teams?
Tottenham visit Sunderland in the Premier League on 12 April (14:00 BST) while Forest travel to Porto for their Europa League quarter-final first leg on 9 April (20:00) before they host Aston Villa in the league on 12 April (14:00).
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