Tottenham Hotspur’s frustrating start to the Premier League campaign dragged on for another match as they were held to a goalless stalemate by a resilient Everton side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The 0-0 result not only extended the Spurs’ inability to find the back of the net but also marked a series of historic low points for the club. For the first time in the modern era, Tottenham have failed to score in any of their opening four league fixtures. The last time a Spurs team went four games without a goal dates back more than two decades, underscoring the severity of the problem.
In total, more than 400 minutes of Premier League action have elapsed since their most recent goal, a drought that has left fans and pundits alike bewildered, especially given the club’s recent £300 million investment in new talent. The match followed a similar pattern to the previous weekend’s encounter with Nottingham Forest, where another barren draw left the home crowd feeling short‑changed.
Roberto De Zerbi’s freshly assembled, high‑priced squad entered the game with high expectations, but the performance on the pitch was anything but inspiring. By the final whistle, the Tottenham faithful were booing their own team, a rare and disheartening sight at a stadium that normally reverberates with chants and applause.
Spurs managed just two shots on target throughout the 90 minutes. The first came in the second half when Portuguese midfielder Mateus Fernandes struck a feeble effort that was met with sarcastic cheers from the crowd, highlighting the frustration that had built up over the match.
The expected‑goals (xG) metric for Tottenham was a meagre 0.64, indicating that even the quality of chances they created was low. Everton, on the other hand, displayed moments of promise that hinted at a possible away victory – their first on the road since February. Former Spurs winger Brennan Johnson produced a brilliant second‑half chance that ultimately went unanswered.
Earlier, Tottenham goalkeeper Antonín Kinský almost handed a soft goal to Everton’s Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall when a mis‑controlled clearance fell at the feet of the Toffee attacker. The Toffees weathered an early onslaught from the home side, which saw four shots within the opening ten minutes.
Jan Paul van Hecke, the Everton defender, missed a prime close‑range opportunity that could have put his team ahead. Nevertheless, his missed chance turned out to be Tottenham’s best chance of the match, as De Zerbi’s side became the first Spurs team in 20 years to endure a four‑game goalless run. Statistically, this fixture was notable for a couple of firsts. It was the inaugural goalless draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Premier League play – the 140th league game hosted there – and the first time Spurs have been held to a 0‑0 home draw in the competition since September 2017.
Sky Sports analyst Jamie Redknapp summed up the collective exasperation: "After spending £300 million, I didn’t think there would be a problem scoring goals. But to not score in six hours of football is absolutely diabolical. For the first 20 minutes I thought this was what I wanted to see. There was a moment when Fernandes had a shot and the whole crowd celebrated.
It's not great. The connection with the fans and the players is not there. I don’t know when they are going to get their first win. It might go on for longer, but I do still see some positives.
It cannot stay this way with what is at their disposal. There are things that I don’t like. Robertson was your left‑back and your wide left player because Marmoush wanted to come inside. That balance didn’t really work, so you are lopsided with what you’re trying to do.
Trying to get the best squad is what De Zerbi has to solve. The midfield balance also isn’t right. You’ve got to find a way of getting a Kudus into the ten, or Maddison if he gets fit. I’m not sure how Kulusevski’s going to be but when he’s fit you’ve got to get him in.
Even I’m looking and thinking ‘how would I change it?’ There are more questions than answers. He tried everything today.
He couldn’t find it. The quality wasn’t there, but they have got quality players." De Zerbi was seen in a heated exchange with substitute Mathys Tel after the final whistle.
The manager later explained his frustration, noting that Tel’s natural position is that of a central striker, not a winger, and that his recent deployment on the flank may be limiting his effectiveness. "If we are playing with Maddison, Kudus and Savio, he has to play as a striker and look at the goal, or for the cross of Robertson. He started as a striker; now he’s playing as a winger, but he started his career as a striker. I love Mathys as a player, as a guy; that is not a problem," De Zerbi said.
Everton manager David Moyes also voiced his disappointment, despite the draw being a respectable away result for his side. He said, "I wanted much more from the team, but I told them about coming here.
We’ve not had a great record here. Only a couple of months ago we missed out on Europe here.
I generally felt that we had to come here and show a bit more. Tottenham were so good for 20 minutes. They put us under so much pressure.
We found it difficult to escape from it. We created a couple chances ourselves, but we didn’t play well enough today when we had the ball. We know exactly where we’re short and what we could do better at and what we’d like to do better. But there’ll be some games where we might have to play that way just to get ourselves through.
It wasn’t the plan, we were forced into it by Tottenham. I thought we did a really good job of being resilient." Key moments of the match included: - 5th minute: Jan Paul van Hecke’s close‑range effort, the best Tottenham chance of the game.
- 45+1 minute: Everton’s James Garner struck a long‑range free‑kick that forced Kinský into a reflex save. - 47th minute: Mateus Fernandes’ weak low shot, which prompted ironic cheers from the Spurs supporters.
- 66th minute: Kinský saved a back‑post header from Thierno Barry, then inadvertently passed the ball to Dewsbury‑Hall, who shot straight at the keeper again. - 89th minute: Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved a last‑minute effort from Lucas Bergvall after a turnover.
Sky Sports’ Callum Bishop offered a blunt assessment: "It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where Tottenham’s biggest concern lies right now. You can’t win games if you don’t score goals.
That’s why Spurs haven’t won a league game this season, after going 400 minutes without finding the net. They have so many creative players, all of whom were on the pitch against the Toffees. Yet the man who they need to score the bulk of their goals was anonymous. Or at the very least, wasn’t found.
Dominic Solanke’s fitness for Tottenham feels imperative. As the only out‑and‑out number nine available to De Zerbi, the Englishman has to be picked when fit. Purely because it seems Spurs don’t have a choice.
However, whether it be rustiness following his latest setbacks or another reason, Solanke didn’t offer anywhere near enough as the number nine. He managed just 19 touches. That’s less than Kinský in goal. More worryingly, he had zero shots.
If the man whose job is to find the net isn’t even letting fly at it, no wonder Spurs are struggling in the final third. Only De Zerbi can answer if the reason for this is because his teammates aren’t utilising him enough, or if Solanke can’t be relied upon to replace Harry Kane. Of course, replacing Kane is practically impossible. But, in the three years since he left for Germany, Solanke is the only player Spurs have splashed the cash on to fill his shoes.
While reinforcements were clearly needed across the pitch after last season, the fact a fitter, more reliable striker wasn’t on the agenda is a concern. And it’s biting Spurs now. They can’t get an improvement until January, so De Zerbi has to find a way to get Solanke more involved." In summary, Tottenham’s inability to score has become the defining narrative of their early season, and the 0‑0 draw with Everton only deepened the concerns surrounding De Zerbi’s tactics, player roles, and the club’s massive financial outlay. The pressure on the manager and his squad is mounting, and the next few fixtures will be crucial in determining whether Spurs can break the deadlock and restore belief among their supporters.