Nottingham Forest v Tottenham ratings: Turner 5, Williams 7; Richarlison 8, Kulusevski 9

Ange Postecoglou's side ease to 2-0 win to push closer to top four

Matt Turner 5/10

NOTTINGHAM FOREST RATINGS: Turner. Did well to deny efforts from Son and Johnson but could do nothing to stop Richarlison and played a poor pass before allowing Kulusevski’s shot to slip through his gShow more

Willy Boly 6/10

Looked dominant in both boxes throughout most of the first half but was outjumped by Richarlison for the opener. Completely missed the target from a promising opportunity. AFP

Murillo 7/10

Was constantly looking to win the ball back but he was taken out of the game by Kulusevski’s cross for the opener. Made a great tackle to stop Son’s run through the middle but was booked for a challenShow more

Moussa Niakhate 6/10

Did well to meet a Son pass ahead of Richarlison and created havoc in Spurs’ box with his long throws. Was unlucky that his instinctive shot was deflected away from goal. PA

Neco Williams 7/10

Showed plenty of persistence to make things difficult for Son after his early struggles. Also showed real quality on the ball, especially with the cross for Elanga’s offside goal. Was unlucky to see hShow more

Ryan Yates 8/10

Put in an all-action display and got the home crowd going on multiple occasions. Made a great block to stop a Son shot and intercepted Sarr’s pass but couldn’t create a goalscoring opportunity. ReuterShow more

Orel Mangala 7/10

Broke play down well at times and passed the ball nicely in a solid display in the middle. Notably put in a brilliant block to deny Kulusevski. Getty Images

Cheikhou Kouyate 6/10

Kept the ball alive in the box but completely missed it from Boly’s header. Put in a shift for the team, making some big tackles in the second half. AFP

Harry Toffolo 6/10

Struggled against Brennan Johnson at times and then allowed Kulusevski to cut across him to deliver the cross from the opener. Will be wondering how his header didn’t go in. Booked for a late foul on Show more

Anthony Elanga 5/10

Failed to take a chance but it was called as an offside anyway and was also offside when he got the ball in the net. Saw Boly miss the target after finding the defender with a lovely pass, then wastedShow more

Morgan Gibbs-White

Provided some nice touches and had bright moments throughout but couldn’t keep his feet after being played into the box. PA

Chris Wood 4/10

SUBS: Wood (Boly, 68). Didn’t offer a lot and couldn’t react quickly enough to reach a couple of inviting crosses into the box. Getty Images

Danilo 6/10

(Kouyate, 68). Skied an effort shortly after his introduction but settled in and gave a decent performance. AP

Callum Hudson-Odoi N/A

(Mangala, 83). Delivered a great cross that was wasted by Elanga. Reuters

Guglielmo Vicario 8/10

TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Vicario. Did well to deal with Elanga’s shot but didn’t look completely convincing when Kouyate missed the ball. Punched Gibbs-White’s free-kick clear well and bravely met Williams’Show more

Pedro Porro 7/10

Defended well on multiple occasions and delivered a good cross for Davies’ chance, but sent a disappointing header wide. Played a great pass to find Son in the box and saw a late effort headed away byShow more

Cristian Romero 8/10

Did well to halt some dangerous runs forward from Elanga and often looked confident. Held the line brilliantly instead of being drawn in for Elanga’s disallowed goal and got a vital touch on Williams’Show more

Ben Davies 9/10

Headed over from a promising chance but hardly put a foot wrong defensively in the first half, making a big clearance and a superb header to clear Gibbs-White’s free-kick. Was booked for bringing downShow more

Destiny Udogie 7/10

Got into some good positions and made a great block to deny Elanga but got booked for nudging Yates as he tried to run through, which means he is suspended against Everton. Getty Images

Yves Bissouma 4/10

Was fortunate to see a sloppy pass go unpunished but moved the ball well at times. Received his second red card of the season for a knee-high challenge on Yates. AP

Pape Matar Sarr 5/10

Got away with conceding possession from two shocking passes in dangerous areas. Was booked for bringing down Gibbs-White near the edge of the box. AFP

Brennan Johnson 6/10

Made things difficult for Toffolo at times but saw an improvised effort saved well. His first return to the City Ground ended prematurely following a clash of heads with Boly. AP

Dejan Kulusevski 9/10

Did brilliantly to create opportunities for his teammates in the first half and got his assist moments before the break with a superb cross for Richarlison. Punished Turner for his error with a powerfShow more

Son Heung-Min 7/10

Couldn’t take his early chance and struggled to create much after that in the first half. Looked brighter in the second period and put Turner under pressure for the error that resulted in Spurs’ seconShow more

Richarlison 8/10

Hardly saw the ball in the first half but worked hard for the team and stayed alert to head in the opening goal. Also provided some nice touches. AP

Olivier Skipp 6/10

SUBS: (Johnson, 32). Slotted in and worked hard for the team while doing the simple things well and did well in the build-up to a Kulusevski chance. Could have taken a shot himself after breaking forwShow more

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg N/A

(Richarlison, 72) Lost possession cheaply in his own half but then orchestrated a move forward nicely. AP

Emerson Royal N/A

(Son, 88) Showed his intelligence to win a foul from Toffolo and slow the game down. Alejo Veliz (Kulusevski, 99) – N/A. Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur returned to form with a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest with goals by Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski pushing them closer to the Premier League top four.

Ange Postecoglou's side started the season in scintillating fashion before being struck by injuries but got back on track with a 4-1 home win over Newcastle United and followed that with victory in a tricky-looking game at the City Ground.

The visitors looked the better side from the start and were rewarded when Richarlison guided home a header in first-half stoppage time from a brilliant Kulusevski cross.

It was the Brazilian's third goal in two games, a welcome result after previously struggling to score.

Kulusevski sealed the win himself in the 65th minute when he picked up a loose pass from Forest keeper Matt Turner, sidestepped Moussa Niakhate and smashed the ball into the net.

Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma was sent off for a dangerous tackle with 20 minutes left, but the visitors held on for their second successive victory.

After a fairly comfortable win, Postecoglou said: "Richarlison is a goalmouth monster. I'm really pleased with him in training and I was confident he could do a job for us.

"It's a tough game here. You have to earn whatever you get. When the ball goes out for a throw-in, you feel like you've conceded a goal."

Postecoglou was less impressed with Bissouma becoming Tottenham's latest player to be sent off.

"We've had to deal with that a few times this year. You can't go on like that because we'll eventually pay a price for that," he said. "It's a fine line between commitment to what we do and not overstepping the mark."

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