The Tricky Trees started the game one place and one point below Spurs in the table, with both teams teetering on the brink of the bottom three.
With third-from-bottom West Ham's game against Aston Villa taking place at the same time, it wouldn't be known until full time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, exactly who would be in that final relegation spot.
Morale-boosting win in midweek for Spurs
The Lilywhites hadn't won in 12 league games, whilst Forest were on a seven-match winless run of their own, though the visitors had certainly got the better of their hosts in recent head-to-heads, having won 3-0 at the City Ground last time out, as well as the two games beforehand, letting in just one goal in that time.
After a terrible start to his time in the Tottenham dugout, the Atleti result and a battling draw against Liverpool at Anfield suggested that Igor Tudor had finally turned a corner.
Albeit the Croatian will have been in no doubt before the game as to just how important a win against this particular opponent would be.
Tottenham on the front foot but toothless in attack
Although Spurs looked to attack in the early stages of the game, their accuracy was off, and none of Mathys Tel, Richarlison or Pape Matar Sarr could find the target with their efforts.
Forest were biding their time, but looking to make inroads down their left side. Indeed, Djed Spence's four attempted tackles in the first half-hour were the most of any player, but only completing one successfully was a sign of things to come.
Teammates Kevin Danso and Cristian Romero were working overtime in order to stifle Forest's attacking threat, and some of the former's 13 one-on-one duels won (from 18 attempted) were a chief reason why it took until the last minute of the first half before the hosts went a goal down.
When the opening goal arrived, it was simplicity itself. Igor Jesus had won a corner with his first on-target effort and was then left unmarked at the back post, and had the easy task of heading into the net unchallenged.
Boos at half-time
Ominously, Spurs hadn't won any of their previous 10 home matches this season (D3, L7) when conceding the opening goal, and Forest hadn't lost when scoring it (W5, D2).
What's more, an 18th goal conceded in the final 15 minutes of a first half is the worst record in the entire Premier League in 2025/26, and suggests a collective 'switching off' by Tottenham's players, as they head towards the half-time break.
The hosts' response was to get their first shot on target in stoppage time, but the boos which greeted the team as they made their way down the tunnel spoke volumes.
Tudor had seen enough and made a double substitution at the break, but his side just weren't at the races for long periods.
Forest biding their time
Archie Gray, normally one of his side's most creative players, couldn't string two passes together and his 77.6% completion stat was one of the worst on show.
Richarlison fared even worse, with a 50% showing coming about because of just five accurate passes from only 10 made.
The Brazilian was marked out of the game thanks to an excellent defensive performance from Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, who won 100% of their tackles.
The pair were ably supported by Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare, who made 10 tackles between them and contested 37 one-on-one duels alone.
Up front, Omari Hutchinson was causing Tottenham all sorts of problems, winning four of his seven dribbles and eight of his 13 attempted duels.
Once again, it appeared that the fight had gone from the Lilywhites' squad, and in what was effectively a relegation six-pointer, that's unforgivable.
Gibbs-White in acres of space
As the hour mark approached, there was a flurry of attacks from the North Londoners, though none of their efforts at goal were on target, and they were quickly made to pay.
Callum Hudson-Odoi wasn't challenged as he made his way from the sideline to the touchline, and his pull-back found Morgan Gibbs-White by the penalty spot without a Spurs player anywhere close to him.
Though Guglielmo Vicario got in the way of the Forest forward's shot, he couldn't stop it from going in, and the silence that then fell over the stadium was deafening.
A double substitution with 25 minutes left saw Richarlison and Mathys Tel replaced by Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani, though the latter pair managed just one touch in the Forest box between them in the entire time both were on the pitch.
13 games without a win for Tottenham
Even having three-quarters of possession leading into the final stages of the match didn't lead to anything approaching a goal or even a chance from Tottenham.
When Taiwo Awoniyi added a third Forest goal towards the end of the game, it was no more than they deserved, and the first time they'd scored three goals this season since the last fixture against Spurs.
Better late than never, Dominic Solanke had two shots on target in the final minute, neither of which troubled Matz Sels.
A 13th game without a win for Tottenham is their worst run in Premier League history, and what will be most galling for Tudor and Spurs fans is that, actually, in a number of metrics, the hosts were significantly better than their opponents.
More passes, more possession, a better pass accuracy, more crosses and more dribbles.... and yet, when it came down to it, they were second best in terms of tackles made and won, and interceptions made.
When they really needed to fight for their lives, Tottenham just didn't have the spirit to do exactly that.
They now face being in the bottom three after the next round of fixtures, if West Ham can beat Wolves at the London Stadium and Spurs fail to beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light two days later.
