Tottenham player ratings v Nottingham Forest, Timo Werner and Micky Van de Ven impress, two players get 5/10

Tottenham Hotspur faced their former manager Nuno Espirito Santo and his Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou‘s men went into the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium knowing a win would take them into the top four.

Aston Villa’s draw against Brentford on Saturday provided the Lilywhites with a golden opportunity to finally put the pressure on Unai Emery’s side.

And Spurs were able to get over the line despite enduring yet another frustrating first 45 minutes.

Goals from Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro proved the difference in the second half as the two defenders helped Postecoglou’s side to three points.

Postecoglou has been criticised in recent weeks for some of his substitutions, but his half time changes proved to be a masterstroke.

Tottenham cruised to three points in the end with the second half being somewhat of a breeze. Here are the player ratings for the game…

Guglielmo Vicario – 7

Guglielmo Vicario was unable to do anything more for Forest’s equaliser but he otherwise put in a solid performance.

He got down low to prevent Forest going in front shortly after their equaliser and may have got slightly fortunate to see Wood slam the post with the rebound.

The Italian has settled in to life in north London and he looks to be the ideal replacement for Hugo Lloris.

Pedro Porro – 8

The Spaniard did not have the best of first halves, however, he was slammed home a stunning half volley to pull Spurs two goals clear.

After seeing his defensive teammate slam home from the edge of the box, Porro showed he was just as capable latching on the end of James Maddison‘s deflected cross.

Cristian Romero – 7

Cristian Romero did not have a whole lot to do during the 90 minutes, so it is difficult to award the Argentine with anything higher.

The Lilywhites have been able to rely on Romero all season with the 25-year-old thriving on the responsibility of becoming the vice captain.

A solid display from the Argentine, but not quite as impressive as his centre-back partner.

Micky van de Ven – 8

The Dutchman showed his pace inside the first half to shut down a Forest counter attack and did do much wrong for Chris Wood’s equaliser.

However, his absolute bullet of a shot was the moment of brilliance Postecoglou’s side were in desperate need of shortly after the break.

It was a strike which Spurs fans will have expected to see from the likes of Heung-min Son, he really is proving to be an absolutely brilliant piece of business from Tottenham.

Destiny Udogie – 6

Destiny Udogie left a lot to be desired for Forest’s goal as he failed to follow the runner for the cross.

The left-back came under scrutiny just a few weeks ago in the heavy defeat against Fulham having also shown a lack of effort.

But it was an improved second 45 minutes from the Italian who showed a lot more going forward as Spurs enjoyed the better of the ball.

Pape Matar Sarr – 5

After starting the game during the week on the bench, Pape Matar Sarr was brought back in to the starting XI by Postecoglou.

But his return to the XI only lasted 45 minutes as he was withdrawn at half-time.

The 21-year-old has had a sensational season under the Australian, but performances like that may just bring him back down to earth slightly.

It will be interesting to see whether he is is brought back in for the game next week away to Newcastle United.

Yves Bissouma – 5

Yves Bissouma made a really bright start to the game after struggling to find the form he had shown in the early stages of the season.

After the draw in midweek, Postecoglou waxed lyrical about the Mali midfielder saying he was “outstanding” against the Irons.

However, his decision not to track back for Forest’s equaliser undone all of his work prior and saw Postecoglou hook him off at the break.

With Spurs said to be looking at bringing in a midfielder in the summer, Bissouma really could do with finding his best form before the end of the season.

James Maddison – 7

Maddison showed signs of getting back to his best in the second half his a good delivery which was nodded on to Porro for Tottenham’s third.

He was withdrawn in the latter stages of the game for the third time in a row, but he did last longer (75 minutes) than he did in the previous two outings.

It wasn’t quite vintage Maddison, but it was a solid showing from the England international.

Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images

Brennan Johnson – 6

After firing Spurs into the lead at the London Stadium on Tuesday night, Brennan Johnson had the chance to show his former side what they were missing.

But the Welshman was not quite able to do that as he endured a quiet evening in north London.

Withdrawn just before the final whistle, the in-form Johnson – who was hailed by Glenn Hoddle midweek – received a warm reception from both sets of fans.

Heung-min Son – 7

Son was able to add another assist to his tally for the season with his little lay off for Van de Ven.

It was not quite the electric Sonny that Spurs fans have been treated to this season as he failed to get his name on the scoresheet.

However, he did come close after seeing a second-half effort tipped onto the post by the Forest goalkeeper.

Timo Werner – 8

Timo Werner produced another sensational cross for the opening goal of the game. It was almost a carbon copy of the move to open the scoring against the Hammers.

Annoyingly for the German, he will not be credited with the assist. However, unlike on Tuesday night, the 28-year-old looked like a real threat throughout the full 90 minutes.

Spurs have until 14 June to make their decision on the £15m option to sign Werner, but it is looking an easier decision as each game passes by…

Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images

Substitutes

Rodrigo Bentancur – 8

Brought on at half-time having been dropped out of the starting XI after Tuesday’s draw, the Uruguayan helped transform the game for Spurs.

The midfielder has been playing through an injury in recent weeks having been suffering from a broken toe.

So the decision to drop him to the bench may have been a precautionary one, but he certainly looked to be almost be back to his best against Forest.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 8

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg‘s future in north London looks bleak with the Denmark international looking set to move on in the summer.

The 28-year-old has already spoken publicly about his displeasure in not playing as many minutes as he would like to under Postecoglou.

But – alongside Bentancur – he came on at half time and tilted the momentum in Tottenham’s favour.

It would be very easy for Hojbjerg to have his attention fully on the summer transfer window and the Euros, but that was a performance of a player who was still giving 100%.

Dejan Kulusevski and Giovani Lo Celso – 6

Both Dejan Kulusevski and Giovani Lo Celso were both brought on with around 15 minutes remaining in the game.

But the game was done and dusted by then and both had very little involvement.