Nottingham Forest defeated fellow Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 on Sunday to leapfrog their relegation rivals near the bottom of the table, thanks to goals from Igor Jesus, Morgan Gibbs-White and Taiwo Awoniyi.
Spurs were arguably the better team before the break but only created one real chance which Richarlison squandered before Jesus headed in from Neco Williams' corner on the stroke of halftime.
The impressive Mathys Tel forced a superb save from Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels in first-half added time, but that was as close as Spurs came on a miserable afternoon.
Gibbs-White, a summer target for Spurs, slotted home just after the hour mark and substitute Awoniyi added a late tap-in to send Spurs fans streaming for the exits. Those remaining in a half-empty stadium booed loudly at the final whistle.
Forest's win – their first in the league under coach Vitor Pereira – puts them 16th with 32 points from 31 games, two points above Spurs in 17th on 30 points.
Spurs are one point above 18th-placed West Ham United, who lost at Aston Villa on Sunday to stay in the relegation zone over an extended break for international games and the FA Cup.
Spurs came into the match on a 12-game winless run in the league but buoyed by their first point under boss Igor Tudor at Liverpool last weekend and a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in midweek Champions League action, albeit they still lost on aggregate.
But all the pre-game optimism had disappeared by the end of Sunday's clash, which leaves Spurs in deep trouble and Tudor on the brink.
Richarlison ought to have put Spurs ahead in the 15th minute and shortly after a defensive header from Jesus bounced off the woodwork as Spurs started brightly.
But, for all they peppered the Forest box with Kevin Danso's long throws and Tel's dangerous corners, Spurs did not manage a shot on target before Jesus scored in the 45th minute.
Guglielmo Vicario, who is due to undergo surgery next week on a hernia, saved Williams' header early in the second half but was too easily beaten in the 62nd minute by Gibbs-White to put the game beyond Spurs.
Awoniyi scored a third in the 87th minute to add gloss on a good week for Forest, who progressed to the Europa League quarter-finals on penalties in midweek.
