Richarlison and Kulusevski help 10-man Spurs cut down Cooper's Forest
Six members of the Tricky Trees’ starting XI weren’t even born the last time they notched a PL victory over Spurs, and a long night looked to be on the cards when Son Heung-min’s close-range effort forced a smart save from Matt Turner inside three minutes.
The hosts soon found their feet, however, and an attempt to exploit Tottenham’s high line followed shortly afterwards, with Anthony Elanga racing through on goal before shooting straight at Guglielmo Vicario.
That near-miss seemed to unsettle Spurs, who looked defensively unsure of themselves for the remainder of the half, and an injury forcing Brennan Johnson off the pitch against his former club will only have added to Postecoglou’s concerns.
That being said, a silver lining quickly presented itself when Kulusevski - shifted out to the right flank following Johnson’s withdrawal - whipped in a delicious cross for Richarlison to nod home, with the Brazilian netting in consecutive games for the first time in his Tottenham career.
The Tricky Trees came out swinging in the second period, as Willy Boly snatched at a glorious chance inside the box and Elanga saw his simple finish disallowed for offside, but their battling proved to be in vain.
A costly individual error from Turner gave the ball straight to Kulusevski shortly after the hour mark, and the Swede capitalised without the help of his teammates by smashing in at the near post.
There was plenty more life in the contest, as Yves Bissouma’s high challenge landed him with a second red card of the campaign and a four-match ban, as well as setting up a nervy finish.
Harry Toffolo’s point-blank header threatened to give the hosts a fighting chance, but Vicario stood firm, extending Forest’s winless run to six matches and leaving Cooper in desperate need of a result at home to Bournemouth next weekend.
Spurs, meanwhile, have put together consecutive victories to restore belief in their top-four bid, although tough times may lie ahead as injuries and suspensions continue to burden Postecoglou.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham Hotspur)
