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Spurs defeated Nottingham Forest 2-0 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 the 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 at how their players performed in the game.
Spurs Player Ratings
Hugo Lloris - 7/10
Lloris made a decent start to the game and was quick off his line to make some key stops. He made one save and one punch to clear the ball. He also played six accurate long balls.
Davinson Sanchez - 7.5/10
Sanchez played instead of the injured Romero and had a decent game. He won six of his seven duels, making three tackles and two interceptions in the process. He also made 10 clearances to keep Forest at bay.
Eric Dier - 7/10
Dier made a strong start to the game, preventing any of Nottingham's threats from materializing. He won two of his three duels, making one clearance and blocking one shot in the process. He passed the ball with 87% accuracy.
Ben Davies - 7/10
Davies was solid at the back and had a decent game. He made three clearances, three interceptions and one tackle. Davies also blocked one shot. He won three of his six duels as well.
Emerson Royal - 7/10
Emerson was active on the right flank, often making forward runs to support Spurs' attacking play. He won six of his 13 duels. Royal also passed the ball with 82% accuracy, including one long ball.
Ivan Perisic - 7/10
Perisic was one of the calmest players on the pitch as he navigated through tight spots with immaculate composure. He had a decent game overall and was subbed off in the 74th minute.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7.5/10
Hojbjerg was a stalwart in the middle of the park, distributing the ball well and putting his body on the line when needed. He passed the ball with 82% accuracy, including one cross and one long ball. He also won seven of his 10 duels.
Rodrigo Bentancur - 7/10
Bentancur ensured Spurs' transition from defense to attack happened smoothly as he distributed the ball well. He won three of his sevel duels and passed the ball with 88% accuracy.
Dejan Kulusevski - 7.5/10
Kulusevski looked lethal with acres of space to run into as Nottingham maintained a high line. He exploited the gaps and provided an assist for Spurs' opener.
Heung-min Son - 6/10
Son displayed a huge drop-off from his form last season, struggling to register a shot on target. He had the fewest touches among any player on the pitch in the first half.
Harry Kane - 8/10
Kane made a blistering start and scored with his first shot on goal in the fifth minute. It was his 200th league goal. However, he missed a penalty in the second half which could have put Spurs in a comfortable position. Kane soon redeemed himself to score to make it 2-0 after 81 minutes.
Substitutes
Ryan Sessegnon - 6/10
He came on in the 74th minute and shortly after had a great opportunity to help his side double their lead. Despite Kane being in acres of space, Sessegnon delayed his pass and squandered the opportunity.
Richarlison - 7/10
Richarlison displayed his physicality and awareness as he contested a ball which most of Forest's players had given up on. He won the duel and provided an assist for Kane's second goal with a trivela cross.
Yves Bissouma & Djed Spence - N/A
The pair came on as late-game substitutes and did not play enough to warrant a rating.
