Tottenham Hotspur continue their search for a first league goal of the campaign after being held to a 0-0 stalemate at Nottingham Forest. The goalless draw extends the North London club's goal drought to three Premier League matches – a feat not seen since the 1973-74 season – and adds another point to a start that has already drawn criticism following a near £400 million summer transfer outlay.
The opening two fixtures saw Spurs beaten by Brentford and Newcastle, putting the new manager Roberto De Zerbi under immediate pressure. In Nottingham, the match could have turned into a fourth consecutive defeat, but a late VAR intervention nullified what appeared to be a legitimate Forest goal. Neco Williams was judged to have used his hand to direct the ball into his own net, and the decision erased the only clear scoring chance for the home side.
Spurs did create a handful of opportunities, but most of them fell short of the mark. Omar Marmoush, in particular, was wasteful, failing to convert several promising chances. Forest, meanwhile, did not register a single shot on target, highlighting the lack of cutting edge on both sides. De Zerbi summed up the frustration: "We could have scored three or four goals today; a poor decision cost us, but the chance was there." For Forest, the point was also a disappointment as they remain winless after a summer of transition under new boss Oliver Glasner.
The match featured a series of notable moments that were captured in the broadcast highlights: - 20 minutes: Marmoush dribbles past Williams and fires a low-angle shot wide. - 51 minutes: Micky van de Ven rises highest from a corner, beats Mats Seels, but heads the ball over the bar. - 65 minutes: VAR overturns Williams' goal, sparking anger among Forest supporters.
- 71 minutes: Marmoush receives a brilliant pass from Antonín Kinský and shoots from 15 yards, only to miss the target. After the match, Williams addressed the VAR decision on Sky Sports, insisting there was no handball: "VAR is meant to correct clear and obvious errors, and in my view this was not one of them.
I headed the ball between my arms; if you pause the footage it looks like it touched my arm, but it didn’t. Many decisions went against us today, but that’s football." De Zerbi, speaking to Sky Sports, expressed disappointment with the result but optimism about the performance given the limited time the squad has had together: "I’m disappointed with the outcome, but I’m happy with how we played, especially considering we started working together just last Thursday. We need to improve our final third decisions – the Marmoush shot, the overlapping run by Robertson – and then we can score many goals because we have players with great quality.
It’s a tough moment to accept the draw, but I believe we played well." Analyst Peter Smith added perspective, noting that while Spurs earned a point, they still have not found the net: "They finished with the same number of shots as Forest, three times as many touches in the opposition box, and double the expected‑goals figure. Yet Marmoush lacked the cutting‑edge in the final third, and both Van de Ven and Solanke squandered good crosses with weak headers. It might be a small step forward for De Zerbi’s project, but it’s not the performance or result needed to convince supporters that the massive summer spend will translate into a substantially better season." The match also featured a promotional reminder that fans can enter the Super 6 competition for a chance to win £1 million, with free entry available. Overall, Tottenham’s inability to score continues to be the headline, as the club seeks to justify its investment and turn early-season scrutiny into tangible results.
The next fixtures will be crucial for De Zerbi’s side to break the goal drought and start converting the numerous chances they are creating into points on the board.