Nottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham: Anthony Elanga scores only goal of the game before late Djed Spence red card – as high-flying Reds inflict more misery on Ange Postecoglou’s side

Mist rolled in from the River Trent as they do in the Nottingham Forest terrace anthem but the songs in the air were all about scaling the Premier League, reaching Europe and even the Champions League.

Nearly 30 years have passed since the last of their famous adventures overseas, but Forest are third in the Premier League after beating Tottenham at the City Ground and starting to dream under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Anthony Elanga’s goal in the first half made it four wins in a row for Nuno’s team, easing them up to third and already beyond last season’s total of 32 points.

Forest look increasingly sure of themselves, comfortable in a system that suits their best players and bruising the egos of the elite along the way.

Tottenham are the latest victims, and the defeat only piles more pressure on Ange Postecoglou as his team wallow in the bottom half.

This was their first Boxing Day defeat since 2003 and came with the hallmarks of defeats at Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, this season. On each of those occasions, they slipped behind and could not find a goal against teams set up to defend deep and in numbers.

Elanga produced a cool finish after being played through on goal during the first half

Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side suffered their ninth Premier League defeat of the season 

Beyond the insult of another defeat came another injury. This one to Radu Dragusin who limped off and left his team to with Archie Gray and Yves Bissouma in central defence.

Then came a red card for Djed Spence, who picked up a second yellow fouling Jota Silva to halt a late counter attack in stoppage time.

Spence will be ruled out on Sunday against Wolves. Dragusin will join a long casualty list.

Elanga’s goal in the 28th minute summed up the predictable pattern of play.

Spurs dominated the ball, passed and probed and yet found Forest difficult to penetrate. 

The home team was well organised and diligent, smothering Tottenham’s main attacking threats. They offered no hint of space behind the back four and were direct and menacing on the break.

Spence, starting his fourth Spurs game in a row, lost the ball in an advanced position to Neco Williams. Morgan Gibbs-White collected a pass out of defence and drove out down the centre of the pitch before slipping a pass to his right.

Elanga kept himself just onside, applied a confident finish and celebrated his third goal in successive games.

Tottenham might have rued early opportunities squandered. The first to Heung-min Son inside five minutes after a rare mistake on the ball by Murillo, who gave it away to Dejan Kulusevski, who started in midfield with James Maddison starting on the bench.

Son was unable to beat to beat Matz Sels who went on to make two excellent first-half saves to deny Brennan Johnson on his latest return to the City Ground.

Johnson and Spence combined on the Forest right in the season they won promotion back to the Premier League. Here, in Tottenham colours, they combined again but with little success and were serenaded with a chorus about how they ‘used to play for a big club’. 

Elanga watched on as his strike found its way into the bottom corner of the Spurs goal

Djed Spence was sent off against the club that he played for before joining Spurs

Postecoglou’s struggling side are currently in the midst of a miserable run of form 

Sels made another outstanding save from Johnson at the start of the second half, sticking out a right boot to foil him when Forest failed to clear a corner.

Forest were close to a second when Fraser Forster pawed a cross to Gibbs-White. The ‘keeper made amends by saving from Gibbs-White but was fortunate to then survive as Elanga flashed the ball across the vacant goal and Pape Matar Sarr made a vital block in the ensuing scramble.

Postecoglou removed Sarr in his first wave of changes made in search of an equaliser, surrendering the resistance he brings to the midfield for extra creativity. Rodrigo Bentancur, back after a seven-game ban for offensive comments in a TV interview, also ran out of steam.

James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall came on, and Nuno responded by removing Elanga and switching to a back five and they held out for three points to take them above Arsenal into third.