Spurs fail to rally as Renan Lodi and Jesse Lingard seal a 2-0 victory for Forest

Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup campaign came to a disappointing end in the third round, with a lacklustre performance resulting in a 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. Despite making several changes to his lineup, Antonio Conte could not prevent Spurs from once again falling short after a sluggish start.

Although Conte had opted for a relatively strong starting XI, with only debutant Fraser Forster missing from the regular Premier League squad, Spurs’ performance at the City Ground was underwhelming. Aside from a shot from Matt Doherty that forced a save from Wayne Hennessey and a near miss from Harry Kane, Tottenham struggled to make an impact in the first half. Forest, on the other hand, came close through Taiwo Awoniyi’s shot that hit the post, as well as blocked efforts from Ryan Yates and Jesse Lingard.

Given the team’s recent tendency to recover in the second half, there was hope among Spurs fans that the game would improve. However, Forest started the second half brightly, with Renan Lodi opening the scoring in spectacular fashion. Lodi cut inside from the left wing and curled a beautiful shot into the top corner from around 18 yards out, giving Tottenham little chance to respond.

Things worsened for Spurs less than ten minutes later when Lingard doubled Forest’s lead. A fast break saw Sam Surridge flick the ball into Lingard’s path, allowing him to head past Forster while Eric Dier was left stranded in defence.

Though Orel Mangala’s red card late on threatened to make the final minutes tense, Tottenham’s inability to create any real threat meant the game was comfortably seen out by Forest. This early exit from the Carabao Cup is a blow for Conte, who had hoped to turn the competition into a route for success.

The performance serves as a reminder of the struggles Tottenham have faced under Conte’s tenure, with tonight’s defeat making their recent progress feel like an exception rather than the norm.