Tottenham Hotspur stabilised their position in the top four of the Premier League, after being Nottingham Forest 3-1 in North London. 

A double from Harry Kane and a neat strike Heung-Min Son led Spurs to victory in N17. With Liverpool losing in the early kick-off, the Lilywhites had the opportunity to increase the gap to the Reds. 

They produced their best performance in recent weeks to delight the home fans. It eases pressure on Antonio Conte, who has come under intense fire in recent weeks.

Nottingham Forest continued their poor away form this season. Forest never truly got started, and they made it too easy for the hosts to control the flow of the match.

  • Porro stakes his claim

Pedro Porro had a tumultuous start to his Spurs career. The Spaniard struggled on his debut against Leicester City, and failed to impress away to Sheffield United.

However, Porro excelled against Steve Cooper's men, which highlighted Spurs' need for a threat out wide.

The former Sporting Lisbon wing-back created Kane's opening goal. The 23-year-old placed a soft and controlled cross into the danger area, before Kane looped his header into the bottom right corner. 

Pedro Porro.  (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)
Pedro Porro. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images)

Porro showed composure on the edge of the box to pick out Kane perfectly. Emerson Royal has continually failed to offer a threat in the final third, so the Spaniard offered a new dynamic for the Lilywhites.

Overall, the wing-back produced a superb performance throughout. He created three chances across the 90 minutes, and had a 40% dribble success rate. Spurs have struggled to fill the boots of Kyle Walker ever since he left in 2017, but it seems they might have finally found the answer.

  • Richarlison silences his critics

Richarlison caused controversy after the North London side were knocked out of the Champions League by AC Milan. The Brazilian criticised his lack of game time, and made it clear what he thought of the season so far.

But the former Everton striker showed his class in N17. Richarlison thought he had opened the scoring early on; he latched onto a stunning pass from Oliver Skipp, before firing pass Keylor Navas. 

VAR decided he was fractionally offside (it was hard to tell with the naked eye), which left Richarlison heartbroken.

But that did not stop the 25-year-old from delivering. The forward won a penalty for the hosts midway through the first half. He latched onto a through-ball from Kane, before beating Joe Worrall to the ball. The Brazilian fell to the ground, and helped Spurs double their lead. 

Richarlison. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Richarlison. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

In the second half, the former Watford striker showed composure to assist Son. He took his time on the edge of the box, before whipping a delicate low cross towards the South Korean, who did superbly to make it 3-0.

Richarlison failed to get his desired goal, before being subbed off in the closing minutes. Nevertheless, his overall performance was superb, and he could easily win the player of the match award.

  • Away form woes continue

Nottingham Forest have been one of the most inconsistent teams this season. At the City Ground, they have looked sensational. It has been a fortress, with the Midlands side earning a win against Liverpool and a draw against Manchester City.

But their away form has left a lot to be desired. The defeat in North London took their record to one away win in 13 matches, with just four goals scored in the process. Andre Ayew's late penalty miss epitomised their away record perfectly.

It leaves them with the worst away record in the league and highlights that the current Forest squad thrive off confidence from the crowd. The City Ground is known for having an impressive atmosphere, but they seem to struggle when taking on a hostile environment.

Andre Ayew misses the penalty. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Andre Ayew misses the penalty. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Spurs controlled the match from the first minute, despite a poor run of form in recent weeks. Early pressure from the visitors would have agitated the home crowd, yet Forest failed to take advantage of that opportunity. 

Cooper's men are unlikely to be relegated this season, but if they want to make more progress up the Premier League, then they need to find consistent results away from home.  

  • Worrall's impact at both ends

Joe Worrall has been a regular for Forest in recent years. He started his career at the club, and the defender has made 207 appearances for them since. 

However, the 26-year-old had a chaotic match in North London at both ends in the pitch. In the first half, he gave away a penalty for the visitors. Worrall was caught isolated, and was beaten to the ball by Richarlison.

The centre-back's late slide tackle brought down the Brazilian, and made Forest's chances of an afternoon comeback even harder. It was clumsy from the defender; he will likely be disappointed to let his team down early on. 

Joe Worrall. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Joe Worrall. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The captain made a more positive impact in the second half. Despite being 3-0 down, he added his name to the scoresheet late on. Felipe flicked a header on from a corner, which Worrall latched onto decisively.

In fact, his goal very nearly started a comeback, but Ayew put an end to their hopes with a weak penalty effort.

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