Journalist Josh Bunting was left shocked by a ‘moment of complete madness’ from defender Steve Cook during Nottingham Forest’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown

Steve Cooper’s side took to the City Ground to face off against Spurs this afternoon after enjoying a decent start to the Premier League season, having picked up four points from their opening three games. The Tricky Trees duly sat 12th in the league table, and a win over the Lilywhites would have taken them up into the European places.

Antonio Conte’s men were also looking for another three points after a strong start to their campaign, with two wins and a draw in their opening three games of the season.

To Cooper’s dismay, Tottenham got off to an emphatic start, with star striker Harry Kane bagging the opening goal of the game in the fifth minute of play.

The Latest

Returning to the pitch after the half-time interval, a momentary lapse in concentration led to a Spurs penalty in the 54th minute.

Centre-back Steve Cook handled the ball in the Reds’ penalty area, leading to an opposition penalty and a yellow card. To the defender's relief, Dean Henderson thwarted Kane’s spot kick, keeping Forest in contention for the remainder of the match.

Bunting was left astounded by the defender’s actions, given his wealth of experience playing at the top level.

As a result, the journalist took to Twitter to share his reaction, stating: “Penalty for Tottenham but what is Steve Cook thinking, that’s a moment of complete madness. For a player that experienced that’s just insane. Kane steps up and it is saved by Dean Henderson it’s his second penalty save of the season after keeping out Declan Rice. Excellent save.”

The Verdict

After ten years and 387 appearances playing for Bournemouth, Cook joined Forest in January as the Reds pushed on for Premier League promotion. The 31-year-old went on to play 14 times during the remainder of the Reds’ 2021/22 Championship campaign, eventually helping his team to triumph in the play-offs.

With 170 Premier League games under his belt, the defender certainly has enough experience to help Forest navigate their first top-flight campaign in 23 years.

You can duly see why Bunting was so surprised by Cook's lapse in concentration, so hopefully he learns from it ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Manchester City and doesn't repeat the feat then, as he might not get away with it a second time.