Premier League 2025-26: Tottenham Hotspur slumps against Forest and fails the acid test

Tottenham suffered a potentially seismic 3-0 defeat to Premier League relegation rivals Nottingham Forest on Sunday, failing to answer the calls of their large fan base.

Thousands lined the streets to cheer on the team ahead of the crucial match in north London, and there was a buzzing atmosphere in the ground as kick-off approached.

Spurs dominated in the first half, but Forest took the lead just before half-time when Brazilian striker Igor Jesus headed in Neco Williams’ corner.

Forest doubled their lead just after the hour when Morgan Gibbs-White finished under Guglielmo Vicario, and substitute Taiwo Awoniyi compounded Tottenham’s misery with a late goal.

The crucial win for Vitor Pereira’s men lifts them above Spurs, who are now just one point and one place above the bottom three.

Last year’s Europa League winners are staring at the nightmarish prospect of relegation from English football’s top flight for the first time since 1977 unless the country can halt its precipitous decline.

As if to underline the club’s current situation, a few miles away in London, bitter rivals Arsenal were chasing their first trophy of a potential quadruple in the League Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.

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Spurs, led by interim boss Igor Tudor, came into Sunday’s game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium without a win in the Premier League since late December.

But they were buoyed by last week’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool and a midweek win against Atletico Madrid, even though they exited the Champions League on aggregate.

Fans gather

Fan groups have set up an initiative ahead of the match called ‘Show Up, Sing Up, Stay Up’, calling on supporters to gather.

Fireworks were set off and some of the fans chanted the name of former boss Mauricio Pochettino before the team bus was serenaded with chants of «Come on you Spurs» as white and blue smoke filled the air.

A message on the stadium screens from captain Cristian Romero read: «We will fight for everything, all together.»

Forest, who started the day just outside the drop zone, looked the more dangerous side in the opening minutes but Tottenham settled down and began to enjoy most of the possession, with Richarlison heading wide.

However, the home side struggled to create clear chances and paid the price when Jesus put Forest ahead in the 45th minute, meeting Williams’ corner with a bullet header.

Spurs took moments to level at the other end, but Forest goalkeeper Matz Selz tipped Mathys Tel’s powerful shot onto the crossbar in the final seconds of the opening period.

As the half progressed, the home fans among the 61,519 spectators became increasingly tense.

And they were shocked into silence when Gibbs-White, a target for Spurs during last summer’s transfer window, fired home in the 62nd minute from Callum Hudson-Odoi’s cross.

Tudor made a number of attacking changes, bringing on Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons, but to no avail.

Awoniyi’s goal in the 87th minute sent the home fans rushing for the exit.

The only bright spot for Spurs on Sunday was a 2-0 defeat for West Ham against Aston Villa, leaving the Hammers in the bottom three.

Published on March 22, 2026