Tottenham earned a hard-fought 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest but the victory was marred by another red card for Yves Bissouma.
Goals from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski in each half moved Spurs level with fourth-placed Manchester City and piled the pressure on Forest boss Steve Cooper.
But Bissouma is now set for a four-match ban after he shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Ryan Yates with 20 minutes to play, while Destiny Udogie will also miss Everton's visit on December 23 following a fifth yellow card of the campaign.
Here are three Tottenham talking points from the City Ground:
Richarlison coming to the boil
It has taken the best part of 18 months but there are encouraging signs Richarlison is finally coming to the boil for Tottenham.
The Brazilian scored in consecutive league games for the first time in a Spurs shirt, following up last weekend's double against Newcastle with the opening goal here.
Ange Postecoglou had said before the match that Richarlison is playing with more freedom since surgery on a longstanding pelvis injury last month and since his return to the starting XI against the Magpies, he is starting to look like the striker Spurs paid £60million for in the summer of 2022.
He rose to meet Kulusevski's cross with a firm header on the stroke of half-time, ensuring Spurs went in ahead at the interval despite one of their least convincing first-half displays of the season.
Next up, of course, is the visit of his former club Everton and Richarlison will go into the reunion brimming with confidence.
Richarlison just can't stop scoring! 💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 15, 2023
A brilliant ball in and the Tottenham striker makes no mistake with his header! 👏 pic.twitter.com/fLvMBSWQYS
Bissouma's discipline an issue
Bissouma was arguably a touch unlucky to be shown a straight red card for catching Forest skipper Ryan Yates with his studs in a 50:50.
Replays showed the Malian had his eyes on his ball but his boot was a good foot off the ground and referee Jarred Gillett decided the challenge was reckless after consulting his pitch-side monitor on advice of the VAR.
Unfortunate or not, the bottom line is Bissouma is now facing a third suspension of the season and, pending a successful appeal, will miss the next four matches. With the Africa Cup of Nations coming up, Spurs are now unlikely to see Bissouma in action again until February.
After the first six or seven games of the campaign, Bissouma looked a genuine contender to be one the players of the season in the top-flight but his campaign has been a disaster since he was sent off at Luton in October.
With Rodrigo Bentancur to return to fitness in February and Spurs potentially looking at midfielders in the winter transfer window, it is hard to predict how Bissouma's season pans out from here.
Kulusevski the difference
There is increasingly a case that Kulusevski is one of Spurs' most important players, at least against defensive sides.
The Swede was the difference against Forest, making the breakthrough for Richarlison with a superb cross and capping the win with a well-taken second goal - a fierce near-post drive through Matt Turner after he had intercepted the goalkeeper's weak kick.
In a laboured first-half display, Kulusevski looked by far the likeliest to unlock a dogged and fired-up home side, and he created Spurs' best chances of the early running, with Turner saving from Heung-min Son and Brennan Johnson.
Kulusevski fires home after a GIFT from Turner! 💥🎁 pic.twitter.com/Z3SaFYcrep
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 15, 2023
His guile, drive and delivery were crucial for Spurs, particularly after Johnson was forced off after 32 minutes with a head injury and replaced by Oliver Skipp.
Kulusevski's versatility is also a huge bonus for Postecoglou and he switched from No.10 to the right flank, from where he crossed for Richarlison, when Johnson went off.
Postecoglou is again facing a selection crisis ahead but Kulusevski is increasingly a player the head coach could not do without, especially in this type of game.
