Tottenham Hotspur suffered another setback in goal-scoring ability without Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) and lost some pride.

Tottenham lost 1-2 to Nottingham Forest in the 33rd round of the 2024-2025 season English Premier League (EPL) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on the 22nd (Korean time).

With this defeat, Tottenham has recorded only 1 win (2 draws, 4 losses) in the last 7 league matches. Remaining at 37 points, Tottenham has dropped to 16th place. There is only a 1-point gap with 17th placed West Ham United (36 points), but they have already secured their stay regardless of the results of the remaining matches. In contrast, Nottingham has moved up to 3rd place with 60 points, surpassing Newcastle United (59 points).

Son Heung-min was absent as Coach Postecoglou had indicated before the match. Son Heung-min, who suffered a foot injury, has been sidelined for the last 3 matches since the match against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Coach Postecoglou opted for a 4-3-3 formation, featuring Matthijs de Ligt, Richarlison, and Wilson Odobert. In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, and Dejan Kulusevski were positioned, while the defense was manned by Jed Spence, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, and Pedro Porro. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario defended the goal.

Nottingham faced Tottenham with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Chris Wood was deployed as the striker, with Danilo, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Antony Elanga positioned behind him. In midfield, Elliott Anderson and Nicolás Domínguez participated, while the defensive line consisted of Harry Toffolo, Murillo, Nikola Milenković, and Neco Williams. The goalkeeper was Mats Selz.

From the early stages of the match, Tottenham's defense was shaky. They conceded the opening goal within 5 minutes. In a corner kick situation, Anderson finished with an accurate shot.

Soon after, Tottenham nearly conceded another goal to Wood but escaped the danger as it was ruled offside. However, in the 16th minute, the defense collapsed again, leading to a goal. Wood shook the Tottenham net with a header. Goalkeeper Vicario lost the timing and was unable to handle the aerial ball properly.

Tottenham missed an opportunity to equalize in the 40th minute of the first half. De Ligt had a decisive shooting chance in front of the goal but missed the target significantly. Both Coach Postecoglou and De Ligt could not hide their disappointment.

The first half ended with Nottingham leading 2-0. The jeers of Tottenham's home fans filled the stadium.

At the start of the second half, Coach Postecoglou made substitutions in the defense. He brought in Kevin Danso and Ben Davies, taking out Romero and van de Ven. Nottingham also strengthened their defensive line by bringing in defender Morato for Elanga.

In the second half, Tottenham struggled to create goals. Shots from decisive chances either went off target or were blocked by goalkeeper Selz.

In the 68th minute, Tottenham made substitutions by bringing in Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson to change their attack. In the 81st minute, Lucas Beeryval was substituted for Sarr. They increased the number of attackers and launched a full-scale offense but lacked finishing.

In the 87th minute, Tottenham pulled one goal back. Porro crossed from the right, and Richarlison headed it in. However, that was all they could manage. Five minutes of stoppage time was added, but they ultimately failed to score an equalizer.

In the end, Tottenham lost both encounters against Nottingham this season, damaging their pride.

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