Tottenham 3-1 Nottingham Forest: Harry Kane’s double moves Spurs six points clear of Liverpool in fourth

Report and free highlights with commentary as Spurs put FA Cup and Champions League exits behind them to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1; Harry Kane’s double and Heung-Min Son’s second-half goal moves Tottenham six points clear of Liverpool in fourth; Forest sit three points above drop zone

Tottenham moved six points clear of Liverpool in fourth after Harry Kane’s double gave them a much-needed 3-1 home win over Nottingham Forest.

Spurs took full advantage of Liverpool’s shock defeat at relegation strugglers Bournemouth beforehand to boost their top-four hopes after disappointing FA Cup and Champions League exits in the last 11 days.

Kane’s first-half double, which took his Premier League tally to 20 goals this season, and Heung-Min Son’s second-half finish put Spurs 3-0 up after 62 minutes.

Forest scored a late consolation (81) through Joe Worrall’s header, with substitute Andre Ayew seeing his stoppage-time penalty saved by Fraser Forster.

Defeat for Steve Cooper’s side leaves them three points above the relegation zone, having won just once away from home in the Premier League this season.

How Spurs put FA Cup and CL exits behind them…

Richarlison, who started despite his explosive post-match interview after Wednesday’s Champions League exit at the hands of AC Milan, looked to have given Spurs the lead with a fine third-minute finish.

But the Brazilian was denied a first Premier League goal for Spurs after a lengthy VAR check deemed the forward offside in a marginal call.

Spurs eventually went ahead through Kane, who headed home Pedro Porro’s cross in the 19th minute giving the Spaniard his first assist since joining the club in January.

Sixteen minutes later, Kane scored his second from the spot – his first penalty since December’s World Cup miss against France – after Richarlison was brought down by Forest captain Worrall.

Richarlison was also at the heart of Spurs’ third in the 62nd minute as he crossed for Son, who swept home into the bottom corner.

The travelling Forest support were rewarded with just their fourth away league goal of the season when Worrall headed home at the back post after Felipe’s flick-on from a corner.

They nearly had a second to celebrate when Spurs substitute Dejan Kulusevski was penalised for handball inside the area following a VAR review.

But Ayew saw his spot-kick saved by Forster in the 96th minute to cap off a miserable day for the visitors, who were forced to take star man Brennan Johnson off in the second half with a groin injury, with the Welshman set to have a scan.

Conte: I saw fire in my players’ eyes

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte speaking in his post-match press conference:

“Today in my players I have seen the fire in their eyes.

“Today was really important, it was vital to get three points, especially because after the game against Milan, but today it was really important because we know we only have the league now.

“There are 11 games to go, we needed today to bounce back to show that we are strong mentally.

“In this type of situation, the morale can be really down, instead I see the right spirit and the right desire to get three points.

“It was positive, but at the same time I said to my players this is the past and we have tonight to enjoy this win but then we have to start to think about the next game.”

Cooper: First-half performance where we lost game

Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper speaking in his post-match press conference:

“The first-half performance was really where the game was won and lost. We didn’t compete well enough in the game.

“I didn’t like us in the duels, the one-vs-ones, even in tackling. It just wasn’t at the competitive level it needed to be. If anything the disallowed goal should’ve been the warning sign.

“We just weren’t aggressive enough in the first half. Second half we were much better, we were on the front foot and we did play with more competitiveness and aggression, and because of that, we had some decent moments.

“We looked a better team in the second half but the frustration is around the first half. In the end, we gave ourselves too much to do.”

Opta stats: Forest’s London woes continue

• Nottingham Forest have lost all four of their Premier League games in London this season by an aggregate score of 14-1. It’s the first time they’ve lost four consecutive league games in the capital since February 1999 (a run of five).
• None of Tottenham’s last 24 home league games have been drawn (W17 L7), while today was the first time Spurs had a 2+ goal lead at half-time in a Premier League home game since against Arsenal in May last season.
• Harry Kane has scored 20 goals in a Premier League season for the sixth time, with only Alan Shearer (7) doing so in more different campaigns than the Tottenham striker.
• Fraser Forster has saved four of the last eight penalties he’s faced in the Premier League, with today’s save from Andre Ayew the first he’s faced with Tottenham Hotspur.