Gary Neville blown away by ‘so, so good’ Dejan Kulusevski as Tottenham win at Nottingham Forest
Brennan Johnson may have been lost early in his big return to Nottingham Forest as a Tottenham player but Dejan Kulusevski stepped up in a huge way to make the difference in the battling 2-0 win.
On a night where Spurs were far more impressive in an attacking sense than they were defensively it was the Swedish international who was at the centre of all the best parts of the visitors’ display at the City Ground on 15 December.
He had already slipped Son Heung-min in for an inviting chance in the opening minutes with a ball Gary Neville called “wonderful” at half time on Sky Sports, but when he popped up on the right in Johnson’s position after the Welshman had been withdrawn with a gashed head he delivered the perfect assist for Richarlison to head Tottenham ahead in first-half stoppage time.
He then took it on himself to smash Ange Postecoglou’s men 2-0 up on 65 minutes as he seized on a poor Matt Turner clearance to advance into the area and hammer a shot back at the Forest keeper, who could only divert it into the net.
The defence and the midfield were looking shaky even before Yves Bissouma got sent off again for a high challenge on Ryan Yates on 70 minutes, who had already been fouled by Destiny Udogie as the newly re-signed left-back also picked up a suspension as he was booked in a slack first-half display.
So Kulusevski’s high-quality performance was all the more vital for a Spurs side looking to put together a run after the 4-1 win over Newcastle last weekend.
Stats from SofaScore perhaps didn’t do the 23-year-old’s performance justice but showed he was on form for his manager, as he completed 92% of his passes on the night (26 of 28), of which three were key balls, including his crucial assist.
He had two shots which were both on target, as Turner had to stretch to keep out a second goal later in the game, and was successful with two of his three dribbles, including in the build-up to his strike.
Neville was blown away by Kulusevski’s assist before the break as he analysed the first-half action live on Sky Sports (8.55pm), saying: “This is the benefit of having Kulusevski out there, he can just dip in and put that wicked delivery in there.
“Murillo gets caught under it to start with and [Willy] Boly is hoping that the ball isn’t perfect, but it is… the delivery is so, so good. It really is a comfortable chance for Richarlison in the end.”
Postecoglou continues to lose players to injury and suspension as fast as he can get them back, and faces absences in the New Year at both the Asian Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations, but the Australian will know he stands a chance in any game if Kulusevski is in this sort of form.
In other Tottenham news, a former Spurs player believes that one club transfer in the January window is now off.