Tottenham Hotspur’s 18th Premier League defeat of the season came at the hands of Nottingham Forest, and Ange Postecoglou didn’t hold back in his post-match reaction. Despite the 2-1 loss at home, Postecoglou strongly believed that Spurs were the better team and deserved all three points. He admitted frustration with what he described as “soft mistakes” that led to Forest’s early goals, scored by Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood. According to him, those costly errors robbed his side of a result they truly earned with their overall performance.
“It’s just another game that got away from us when it really shouldn’t have,” Postecoglou said. “That’s been our story this season—we make life hard for ourselves at key moments. It’s frustrating because the football we played was excellent. We controlled the game and still ended up on the losing side. It’s another one we should’ve won but didn’t. Totally unacceptable.”
Forest Strike Early, Spurs Struggle to Recover
Forest couldn’t have asked for a better start. Just five minutes in, Anderson’s shot took a deflection past Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario. Then, 12 minutes later, it was 2-0 when Chris Wood slipped between Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven to head in Anthony Elanga’s cross. Spurs tried to respond, with Mathys Tel and Richarlison both missing decent chances in the first half. Dejan Kulusevski came closest in the 59th minute with a header that was cleared off the line by Harry Toffolo. Richarlison was denied twice by Forest keeper Matz Sels, but finally got on the scoresheet in the 87th minute with a header from a Pedro Porro cross.
Postecoglou: Mistakes Keep Costing Us
Postecoglou said the loss summed up Spurs’ entire season. “We gave away two poor goals and gave ourselves a mountain to climb. That’s the story,” he said. “We played great football, but we keep getting in our own way. I hate losing, and we’ve lost too many games this season. We’ve got to fix the little things so that we actually get rewarded for the quality football we’re playing.”
Nuno Praises Forest’s Grit and Bounce Back
For Nottingham Forest, this win was huge. It snapped a two-game losing streak and lifted them to third place. Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was full of praise for his team’s determination and their ability to hold off Spurs’ late pressure. “We’re in a fight no one expected, not even us,” Nuno said. “But we’re not trying to prove anyone wrong—it’s about us and the way we compete. The players are enjoying it, and we’re proud to be battling the big teams.”
He continued, “We started strong, got our goals, and defended with real discipline. Yes, Tottenham had their chances, but we had some heroic moments, like that Toffolo clearance and Sels being top-notch again. It’s all about spirit—and we showed plenty of it.”
