James Maddison red card punch Ryan Yates Tottenham win Nuno Espirito Santo

Nuno's Forest side falls to Spurs, Nuno frustrated by VAR decision. Forest remains 17th in Premier League on goal difference.

Upon his return to the club he once managed briefly before being sacked in 2021, Nuno's Forest team suffered a 3-1 defeat, leaving them in 17th place in the Premier League, narrowly avoiding the relegation zone based on goal difference.

Despite a strong first-half performance that saw the score level at halftime thanks to Chris Wood's goal cancelling out an own goal from Murillo, Nuno was left frustrated by a controversial VAR decision towards the end of the first period.

Yates, a Forest midfielder, went down off the ball clutching his stomach, and upon the ball going out of play, he demanded a VAR review, claiming he had been struck by Maddison.

Despite Nuno's belief that Maddison should have been sent off for the incident, VAR took no action, leaving the Forest boss bewildered.

Expressing his disappointment, Nuno stated, "It's a red card. I was surprised VAR didn't [send Maddison off]. Maddison lost composure and punched Yates in the stomach. What they saw clearly is not the same as we saw. I wouldn't speak if I wasn't 100% sure."

Yates added, "James Maddison is a good player, I know he makes them tick. It's my job to disrupt the momentum. A few decisions probably didn't go our way but we've seen the inconsistency in the Premier League this season."

While Forest posed a threat to Spurs in the first half, hitting the post through Wood, the visitors struggled to make an impact in the second half, conceding goals to Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro as Spurs cruised to victory, climbing to fourth in the Premier League.

With Forest now tied on points with Luton and only holding a four-goal difference advantage, the team faces a tough battle in the final six games of the season.