Harry Kane scored his 200th and 201st career Premier League goals at the City Ground

Premier League

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0
TOTTENHAM 2 (Kane 5, 81)

A HARRY Kane double secured Tottenham three points in their first Premier League visit to Nottingham Forest for over 20 years.

But while the 2-0 victory continues a bright start to the season, the goalscorer sent a post-match warning that there needed to be improvement as it took Spurs until the 82nd minute to get the cushion of a second.

Newly-promoted Forest, enjoying a close season revamp costing north of £130million, have a clear set of strengths. Manager Steve Cooper has laid out a team in a three-four-two-one set-up that suits the squad, with a work ethic that looks as good as any in the top-flight.

But for all of Forest’s application, when push came to shove, Tottenham carved chances when they fancied revving up their engines.

It was down to uncharacteristically wayward finishing that saw Spurs have to settle for a 2-0 win. Kane lamented missing the chance to register a hat-trick after being denied early in the second half by a deliberate goal-line handball – and then seeing his resulting penalty well-saved by Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson

Speaking after the game, Kane was flummoxed by referee Craig Pawson’s decision to award a penalty but not send Steve Cook off for deliberate handball. He said: “There’s not much I can really say about it, but if that wasn’t a goalscoring opportunity, I do not know what is. I was really surprised.”

Insisting that the Tottenham squad still needed to find consistency to deal with a congested fixture list, Kane added: “We got away with it a bit in the first half. It is something we have got to fix, and quickly.

“We have a game every three or four days. It is important those who come in are ready to take their opportunity. We are still winning games but we need to keep focussed, keep working.”

From the off, Forest set a pace enjoyed by the 29,000 home fans, but as soon as Spurs got their first opportunity they took it.

On five minutes, Dejan Kulusevski fastened onto a loose ball and drove inside. Ivan Perisic got up on the left and offered the obvious pass, forcing defenders to look both ways.

It allowed Kane a little more space on the inside channel that an opponent wants to give him. It wasn’t the tidiest of strikes – the first of a number of disjointed efforts – but any lack of power was made up for by a shot that was well-placed enough to find the bottom corner.

Liverpool had given newly-promoted Bournemouth a cruel 9-0 lesson on Saturday, and when Spurs went ahead there was the risk the spaces Forest obligingly offered as they continued to press high might see a similar red-faced rout.

Instead, the visitors racked up a showreel of missed chances. The usually venomous alliance of Heung-Min Son, Kane and Kulusevski were blunted by the fighting qualities of captain Joe Worrall at centre-back.

Kane sent a far post curler close, and was then denied by Worrall’s textbook recovery challenge. Son tried a shot from the edge of the box but his effort lacked whip.

The forward has yet to get going this term, and his luck did not break on 25 when Kane dropped deep and spun a pass over the top, setting in motion a well-trodden Son-Kane combo. On a good day, Son would have taken a touch to control and another to shoot. Instead, the ball spun up and struck his arm.

Then came the other handball, this time most certainly deliberate. On 52, the excellent Perisic laid a can’t-miss ball across for Kane. As he leapt, neck arched, Cook cracked.

A red card VAR check delayed things. It is not like Kane to be unsettled by a wait, but Henderson sprung low and pushed the spot kick away. The save gave Forest fresh legs, and while they sweated away, they didn’t genuinely trouble Hugo Loris.

At the other end, Spurs were cursed by mixture of wastefulness and body-on-the-line blocks. Substitute Ryan Sessegnon was guilty of hesitation when he went through on 81 – with a choice of squaring to Kane or shooting he allowed the angle to be successfully narrowed.

It looked like another chance squandered but Richarlison, whose Spurs career so far has been based on providing energetic, 75-minute plus interventions, followed Antonio Conte’s touch-line instructions and chased the ball down.

What Richarlison pulled off once he’d hustled control was the games stand out moment, the difference between Spurs sputtering and firing. With the outside of the boot, he carved a cross that dodged everyone except Kane, waiting calmly at back post to head home.

It was three hard earned points and as Kane said afterwards, with a trip to West Ham on Wednesday and Fulham visiting on Saturday, it doesn’t get any easier.

Nottingham Forest: Henderson, Worrall, Cook (Awoniyi, 74), McKenna, Williams, Yates (Kouyate, 74), O’Brien (Freuler, 74), Toffolo, Johnson (Surridge, 90), Gibbs-White, Lingard (Dennis, 68)
Substitutes not used: Biancone, Colback, Hennessey, Mighten.

Tottenham: Lloris, Sanchez, Dier, Davies, Royal, Perisic (Sessegnon, 73), Hojbjerg, Bentancur, (Spence, 90+1), Kulusevski (Bissouma, 82), Son (Richarlison, 73), Kane
Substitutes not used: Doherty, Forster, Tanganga, Sarr, Lenglet