Full-Time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium: Spurs Fall 2-1 to Nottingham Forest – Player Ratings and Performance Breakdown
The final whistle has sounded at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and it signals yet another disappointing result for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Tottenham Hotspur have slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest, marking their 18th loss of what has turned into a frustrating Premier League campaign.
With this loss, Spurs continue to struggle for consistency as the season winds down. Despite patches of promise, individual errors and a lack of clinical edge once again proved costly. As always, we’ve taken a close look at each player’s performance over the 90 minutes, grading them on a scale of 1 to 10.
Let’s dive into the player ratings and evaluate how each Tottenham player fared against Forest.
Tottenham Hotspur Player Ratings vs Nottingham Forest
Guglielmo Vicario – 4/10
Another outing, another mistake from Tottenham’s number one. Vicario was at fault for Forest’s second goal, misjudging a routine cross that allowed the visitors to double their lead. After that moment, Forest largely sat back and allowed Spurs to keep possession, but Vicario had little else to do for the remainder of the match. A costly lapse in concentration that added pressure on his teammates.
Pedro Porro – 7/10
One of Tottenham’s more active players, Porro was once again tasked with creating from deep and drifting inside to support the midfield. His clever positioning saw him often pop up in the right half-space, and his delivery from wide areas was one of the few bright spots. It was his pinpoint cross that led to Richarlison’s goal, giving Spurs a glimmer of hope late in the game.
Cristian Romero – 5/10
Romero had a relatively quiet first half before Postecoglou opted for a change at the break, bringing on Kevin Danso. The Argentine didn’t do anything particularly wrong but didn’t impose himself either.
Micky van de Ven – 5/10
Much like Romero, van de Ven was substituted at halftime in a double change by the manager. He had a few strong moments defensively but didn’t look as assured as usual before being replaced by Ben Davies.
Djed Spence – 4/10
Spence was given a rare start on the left and had a tough evening. While he showed the desire to get forward and tried to link up with Mathys Tel, he lacked the final product in the attacking third. His overlapping runs yielded little, and he struggled defensively at times too.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5/10
Bentancur saw a deflection off his foot lead to Forest’s opening goal, which was unfortunate. Outside of that moment, he kept things ticking over in midfield with tidy passing and calm distribution. Not a standout performance, but he wasn’t poor either.
Pape Matar Sarr – 5/10
After a subdued opening 45 minutes, Sarr was more involved in the second half. He made several forward runs into the box and added more intent to Tottenham’s attacking play. However, he couldn’t quite unlock Forest’s compact backline.
Dejan Kulusevski – 6/10
The Swedish winger had Spurs’ best chance of the second half, rising to meet a Porro corner only for Harry Toffolo to clear his effort off the line. Kulusevski was a constant source of creativity and tried to make things happen in tight areas. Substituted in the 67th minute.
Wilson Odobert – 6/10
The young winger had his most impressive moments in the first half, showing glimpses of flair and direct attacking from the right wing. However, his influence faded after the break, and he was withdrawn for Brennan Johnson midway through the second period.
Richarlison – 8/10
The Brazilian forward was lively and relentless throughout the match. He had multiple chances to get on the scoresheet, including one golden opportunity following a defensive mix-up and a powerful header that was well saved by Sels. Eventually, Richarlison was rewarded for his persistence, scoring with a close-range header from Porro’s delivery. Easily Tottenham’s most threatening attacker on the day.
Mathys Tel – 6/10
The Frenchman started brightly but struggled to maintain his spark in the second half, especially after Forest shifted to a more defensive shape. Despite that, Tel continued to run at defenders and remained a nuisance down the flank.
Substitutes
Ben Davies – 6/10
Came on at halftime for van de Ven and delivered a composed performance. The experienced Welsh defender helped keep Forest quiet in the second half and was solid in one-on-one duels.
Kevin Danso – 6.5/10
Danso made his return from injury, replacing Romero at the break. The center-back looked sharp, especially in aerial battles, and helped bring stability to a backline that had looked shaky in the first half.
Brennan Johnson – N/A
Entered the fray in the 67th minute for Odobert but failed to leave much of a mark on proceedings. Struggled to find space or influence the game against a deep Forest defense.
Dominic Solanke – N/A
Played alongside Richarlison in the latter stages, but didn’t see much of the ball. The service to him was limited, and he couldn’t make a meaningful impact.
Lucas Bergvall – N/A
Came on late and immediately brought energy to the midfield. While his time on the pitch was short, Bergvall’s intent and urgency were noticeable and could earn him more minutes in the coming games.
Final Thoughts:
It was a night of familiar frustrations for Tottenham Hotspur. While there were some standout performances — notably from Richarlison and Pedro Porro — individual errors and a lack of cohesion in key moments once again undermined the team’s efforts. With the season nearing its end, Ange Postecoglou will be eager to restore some pride and consistency as he plans for the next campaign.
Tottenham player ratings vs Nottingham Forest – 8/10 star is the silver lining
