Nottingham Forest

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Tom Garry

WSL round-up

Brighton and Liverpool both went agonisingly close to snatching victory late on as they provided a tense finish to their goalless stalemate, but both sides had to settle for a draw that edges Liverpool slightly further away from the drop zone.

In a game that was low on final-third quality and one where the highlights reel would probably begin in the 89th minute, the closest both sides came to winning it came in the final moments of the contest.

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4 min Good start from Forest, who are passing the ball with a crisp confidence.

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Match report: Newcastle 1-2 Sunderland

Louise Taylor

As recently as Friday morning Eddie Howe talked about some results having “bigger consequences than others”. This was most definitely one of them.

In completing a Premier League double against Newcastle, Régis Le Bris’s promoted Sunderland surely consigned Howe and his players to one of their most chastening afternoon’s at St James’ Park.

Coming four days after their dissection in Barcelona and at the hands of a seriously under-strength Sunderland it is no exaggeration to say that one of Le Bris’s biggest triumphs of an outstanding season represented a disaster for Howe.

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3 min Danso, running towards his own goal, does very well to beat Igor Jesus to Gibbs-White’s dangerous cross. He manages to head it safely up in the air for Vicario to claim.

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3 min “There’s five minutes to go at Tannadice, Rob, where two second-half goals for Dundee United have them 2-0 up and cruising against reigning champions Celtic, just like we were against Dundee at Dens last week,” says Simon McMahon. “What could possibly go wrong?”

World War III? Oh, sorry, you meant the football.

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2 min Spurs have indeed started in a 4-4-2 formation with Micky Van de Ven at left-back. Murdoch 1-0 Smyth.

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1 min Peep peep! Spurs kick off from left to right as we watch.

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West Ham have made a late change to their XI at Villa Park. Freddie Potts replaces Jean-Clair Todibo, who did himself a nasty in the warm-up. That may also mean a change of formation, I’m not sure.

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The Spurs formation

I thought Spurs would line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation but Sky Sports reckon they are playing two up front. Who ya gonna believe? (Sky, obviously.)

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2) Vicario; Spence, Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Gray, Sarr, Tel; Richarlison, Solanke.

Subs: Kinsky, Dragusin, Joao Palhinha, Simons, Udogie, Bergvall, Gallagher,

Souza, Muani.

Nottm Forest (4-2-3-1) Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus.

Subs: Ortega, Morato, Awoniyi, Ndoye, Dominguez, Yates, McAtee, Netz, Bakwa.

Referee Michael Oliver (Northumberland).

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Enough about today’s game, I just want to know what Cloughie was up with this T-shirt.

Harvey Auzorst pointed out that Jim Ramsey was a producer on ITV Sport at the time, but I’ve no idea of the backstory. With a bit of luck Jim Ramsey will be reading this.

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Updated at 10.05 EDT

“Unless you’re a Friend Of Piers (as I’m sure NO Arsenal fans want to be known), it’s traditionally been fairly difficult to truly dislike Spurs,” writes Matt Dony. “They just naturally seemed to have a decent amount of goodwill about them. Generally trying to play good football, interesting signings, decent results without being too successful. Lots of people seemed to have a soft spot for them.

“It feels like they’ve burned an awful lot of that goodwill over the last few years, though. To the point where, previously, I think most of us would be sad to see the predicament they’re in now. In actuality, though, it is (and we have to be honest) really quite funny. I still hope they don’t go down, but I have the popcorn out either way. And a heartfelt apology to the many, many fine Spurs fans who are going through the wringer.”

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On the ball – guess the footballer

The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for?

Erm, excuse me, I asked you a question.

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“Not a six-pointer then,” begins Charles Antaki, “but – for Man City and Arsenal fans, maybe an amuse-bouche? Little about it suggests the tantalising delicacy that the term suggests. Hors-d’oeuvre, perhaps, but pronounced horses’ hooves for the thundering and galumphing likely to be on show.”

Morgan Gibbs-White could probably sue for slander.

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Late drama in the Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park. Luke McLaughlin has more.

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Ben Fisher

The night before Nottingham Forest prevailed against Midtjylland, going the distance in central Denmark to tee up a first European quarter-final 30 years to the day since their last, Ryan Yates was doing a spot of homework. The Forest club captain found himself flicking through the Champions League offering at the team hotel in Silkeborg, half an hour east of Herning, but naturally lingered on Tottenham’s rematch with Atlético Madrid. A trip to Spurs, of course, is next and, like Forest, they find themselves in a perilous predicament near the bottom of the Premier League.

Vítor Pereira has done whatever the opposite of dressing up Sunday’s meeting as just another game is, stressing with eight games to go the Premier League must come first, even if they have rekindled fading hopes of European glory. It has been an unexpectedly satisfying week for both sides, Forest overturning a first-leg deficit to advance, and Spurs building on an encouraging display, and result, at Liverpool by registering a welcome first win under Igor Tudor, whose side exited on aggregate.

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The oft-maligned Richarlison has quietly scored nine Premier League goals this season. Nothing to write home about, sure, but he could be a key man in the next two months.

Forest’s top league goalscorer, since you asked, is Morgan Gibbs-White with eight.

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Igor Tudor said data shows his players are now in the “top four or five of all season for high-intensity runs”. Opta data reveals the players are winning the ball higher up the pitch more often and applying more high-intensity pressure – leading to more successful attacks – in Tudor’s four Premier League games compared to his predecessor Thomas Frank’s 26.

“The squad is like one living thing, modulating the energy day by day, training by training, game by game,” said the 47-year-old. “The changes that happen are a result of the process. Sometimes you do better at one thing or another thing. It’s always about the level of problems there are to resolve, so you try to do your best and if you are good and the problems are not too big then you see the consequences. It’s all about that. Sometimes you need even more time. For sure, that’s an important thing. Now, it’s just to keep on. Don’t allow this to disappear. Keep them strong and continue in the same way.”

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The relegation runners and riders

Nottingham Forest

double quotation markReasons for optimism: Nottingham Forest are 17th in the table, just above the relegation zone thanks to their superior goal difference to West Ham. They can pull further clear if they beat Tottenham on Sunday. They have won their last three matches against Spurs and are starting to show some signs of stability under Vítor Pereira. He is the club’s fourth manager this season, which is hardly ideal, but his focus on video analysis and one-to-one work have improved results. Forest came from behind twice to draw with Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this month and they have backed that up with another draw against Fulham and a win over Midtjylland in the Europa League. They are taking steps in the right direction at a pivotal point in the season.

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Newcastle v Sunderland

Things are getting lively in the Tyne-Wear derby at St James’ Park. You can follow the last quarter of that match with Luke McLaughlin.

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“Merely a relegation six-pointer?” wonders Gary Naylor. “On this one, I think Spartacus Mills speaks for us all.”

Gary, I love you, but iT CAN’T BE A SIX-POINTER IF THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO PARTIES INVOLVED! Or am I just being a joyless, philosophically confused pedant?

For the avoidance of doubt, that was a rhetorical question.

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Aston Villa v West Ham team news

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Barkley, Onana; McGinn, Rogers, Sancho; Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Mings, Tielemans, Buendia, Abraham, Douglas Luiz, Maatsen, Bogarde, Bailey.

West Ham (3-4-2-1) Hermansen; Todibo, Mavropanos, Disasi; Wan-Bissaka,

Soucek, Fernandes, Diouf; Bowen, Pablo Felipe; Castellanos.

Subs: Areola, Walker-Peters, Kilman, Wilson, Traore, Magassa, Scarles, Potts, Kante.

Referee Paul Tierney (Lancashire)

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Team news

Xavi Simons is omitted from the Spurs side despite scoring twice against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. He’s replaced by Richarlison, who was suspended for that game, while Kevin Danso and the fit-again Dominic Solanke come in for Radu Dragusin and Randal Kolo Muani.

Vitor Pereira used a number of his first-choice players from the bench in Denmark on Thursday, so there are eight changes to the XI that started against Midtjylland. Nikola Milenkovic and Omari Hutchinson are the survivors.

Tottenham Hotspur (3-4-2-1) Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Gray, Sarr, Spence; Richarlison, Tel; Solanke.

Subs: Kinsky, Dragusin, Joao Palhinha, Simons, Udogie, Bergvall, Gallagher,

Souza, Muani.

Nottm Forest (4-2-3-1) Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus.

Subs: Ortega, Morato, Awoniyi, Ndoye, Dominguez, Yates, McAtee, Netz, Bakwa.

Referee Michael Oliver (Northumberland)

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Preamble

Cor, it’s a bit snug down there. Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham are separated by only one point, with Leeds United also involved in game of relegation Snakes and Ladders. Barring something unforseeable, one of those four big clubs will be playing Championship football next season. Forest, West Ham and Leeds are reasonably familiar with life in the second tier; Spurs haven’t experienced it since the 1970s.

There’s a fair way to go – seven games after today – but when the dust settles, the result of this afternoon’s match between Spurs and Forest may prove decisive. There’s not much else to say really: it’s a mustn’t-lose game for two teams who are waist-deep in the malodorous stuff.

Spurs will hope they turned a corner when Richarlison equalised in injury-time at Anfield, a result they followed with a losing victory over Atletico Madrid in midweek. Forest could have done without extra-time in Belgium on Thursday but they’ve won their last three matches against Spurs, including a 3-0 evisceration at the City Ground in December, and have probably played better than recent league results suggest.

Spurs and Forest would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for their pesky ex. But Nuno Espirito Santo, sacked by both clubs, has revived an apparently doomed West Ham. Their win at Spurs in January was the start of an excellent run of 15 points in nine games, and another victory at Aston Villa today would move them out of the relegation places for the first time in 2026.

We’ll have goal updates from that match as well, but our main focus is on events in north London.

Kick off 2.15pm

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Updated at 08.54 EDT

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