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Spurs oversaw a relatively comfortable 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday, August 28.
Forest played Newcastle United, West Ham United and Everton in their opening rounds, earning four points. Steve Cooper's side have already made 15 signings this summer and are still in the market for more. He fielded a strong lineup featuring club record signing Morgan Gibbs-White, who joined for £45 million from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Spurs, on the other hand, made a strong start to the campaign. They defeated Southampton and Wolves and earned a hard-fought point away at Chelsea. Antonio Conte made one change to his team from last week, with Davinson Sanchez coming in to replace the injured Cristian Romero.
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Spurs made a strong start to the game, with their front three causing major problems for Nottingham's defense. Harry Kane opened the scoring after just five minutes of play. Dejan Kulusevski made a darting run into the final third and played a perfectly weighted pass to Kane, who slotted in with ease to mark his 200th league goal.
The visitors dominated the majority of the first half, creating big chances to extend their lead. Heung-min Son had a great chance as the ball fell to him at the perfect speed near the edge of the box. However, he flashed his effort inches above the crossbar. Kane had another opportunity but his effort was well wide of the upright.
Morgan Gibbs-White was one of the standout players for Nottingham Forest. Along with Jesse Lingard and Brennan Johnson, he created some half-chances for the hosts. Their best chance, however, arrived close to the end of the period. Gibbs-White found himself in a great position in the box but failed to convert.
Spurs went into the break with a narrow one-goal lead.
The second half began with the City Ground faithful rallying their troops to put up a fight against Tottenham Hotspur. All three of Forest's defenders were booked within fifteen minutes of the restart as Spurs ran riot.
The most notable booking was for Steve Cook, who appeared to have handled the ball and denied Kane a clear goalscoring opportunity. However, following a VAR check, a penalty was awarded and many Spurs players were surprised to see him only being yellow-carded. Dean Henderson made a spectacular save to deny Kane from the spot. It added to his spectacular record of saving penalties.
However, the euphoria around the ground was short-lived. Richarlison did brilliantly to keep the ball alive and crossed it in with a peach of a trivela pass. Harry Kane was first to attack the cross and tapped it in to make it 2-0 to Spurs in the 81st minute.
Despite eight minutes of stoppage time, Spurs kept Nottingham Forest at bay and walked away with all three points. That said, let's take a look the five major talking points.
#5. Heung-min Son is having a torrid spell of form
Heung-min Son and Harry Kane are Tottenham Hotspur's main weapons in the final third. The pair combined for a whopping 58 goal contributions last season, with Son accounting for 32 of them. However, he has made a slow start to the ongoing campaign, registering just one assist so far in four games.
He had an incredible opportunity to double Spurs' lead in the first half after the ball fell to his feet outside the box. He could only watch as his effort narrowly sailed wide. In another moment in the second half, Son had the opportunity to redeem himself, this time from inside the box. However, he was denied by Henderson.
While Harry Kane does not look like he'll stop scoring and Kulusevski getting better with time, Spurs need not worry much. However, when the fixtures come thick and fast, they will rely on Son to perform to ensure they challenge for silverware this season.
#4. Spurs look shaky without Cristian Romero in defense
Davinson Sanchez was brought into the starting XI by Antonio Conte to cover for the injured Romero. Spurs missed their Argentine stalwart in defense as they faced some nervy moments with just a one-goal lead. They were lucky to get away as Nottingham Forest were wasteful in front of goal.
Romero offers agility, pace and aggression which none of Spurs' other defenders can match, adding an extra edge to their team. While his aggression may cross the line at times, he is crucial to the way Antonio Conte's teams are set to play.
#3. Antonio Conte's teams are designed to win
Spurs looked switched on right from the first minute and it was evident as Kane grabbed the first goal in the fifth minute. They continued to force the issue until around the 20th minute, after which there was a significant drop-off.
To the ordinary eye, it may seem as if Spurs ran out of ideas and Forest were handed their way into the game. However, it is all part of the plan as Conte's teams usually play in bursts. They played all-out attacking football early in the game to grab control of proceedings. Later on, they had another spell of dominance in the second half where they aimed to seal the deal.
Considering they scored in the fifth minute and then in the 81st minute, this seems to be the way the Italian set up against Nottingham Forest. Despite not playing the most exciting football, they stuck to the plan to secure a well-deserved three points.
#2. Nottingham Forest need to find their main XI
Steve Cooper's side have already made a league-high 15 signings already this summer. This was mainly because most of their squad that earned them promotion last season were on loan.
However, they were severely exposed in wide areas today as Kulusevski ran riot in the final third with the ball at his feet. The fact that Spurs could not translate that into goals on the scoreboard saved Forest's blushes. However, it is clear as day they need defensive reinforecements.
With Renan Lodi's arrival from Atletico Madrid being confirmed, Cooper will be eager to integrate him into the squad as soon as possible. His side face the defending champions Manchester City in their next game.
#1. Harry Kane scores his 200th & 201st league goals
Harry Kane was the standout performer for Tottenham Hotspur against Nottingham Forest. He scored his 200th league goal of his career in the fifth minute with a shot that awkwardly beat Dean Henderson in goal.
Kane's opportunity to score from the penalty spot in the second period was spectacularly denied by Henderson. However, he got the better of his fellow Englishman late in the game as he scored his 201st league goal.
