Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest, extending their winless start to the Premier League season and marking the first time since 1974-75 that the club has failed to score in their opening three league fixtures. The result at the City Ground follows earlier defeats to Brentford and Newcastle, leaving new manager Roberto de Zerbi searching for answers despite what he described as an encouraging overall performance.
Despite being the more threatening side for large parts of the match, Spurs could not find a breakthrough. A second-half moment of controversy saw Neco Williams' close-range effort disallowed after a VAR review, sparing Tottenham from what would have been a third straight league loss. Still, the point ends a run of nearly three years without picking up a draw, though it does little to ease growing scrutiny on a squad that underwent a major summer rebuild.
Tottenham's inability to convert chances has become a growing concern. The draw was their eighth in the league this calendar year — their highest total since 2020 — and they failed to register a single shot on target in a top-flight fixture for the first time since April 2022, when Antonio Conte was in charge. Across three league matches this season, Spurs have managed 38 shots but only 3.3 expected goals, underlining a lack of composure in the final third.
The club's £300m-plus summer spending, part of a record £3.49bn outlay across the Premier League, saw several new faces handed starts, including Sandro Tonali, Jon Paul Van Hecke, Savio and Omar Marmoush. Yet De Zerbi was quick to temper expectations, pointing to the difficulty of blending so many new arrivals in such a short space of time.
"We bought very, very good players but you can't just build the team with the names like in Football Manager," De Zerbi told Sky Sports. "We are disappointed for the result but for the performance very happy. Considering we started to work together last Thursday for the first time, for the first day."
The Italian coach acknowledged his side's defensive solidity but stressed the need for greater precision going forward, referencing a missed opportunity involving Marmoush, who fired over the bar despite having Andy Robertson overlapping and Mohammed Kudus unmarked at the back post. "If we take the right decision and if we play with Robertson on the second post there is Kudus to score," he said, adding that his players needed to "keep calmer when we are close to doing something important."
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy echoed those sentiments in his BBC Sport analysis, noting that Tottenham often rushed decisions in promising areas. "They made the wrong choice on pullbacks or crosses when they're getting in wide areas, taking men on one too many times when they've already got the space," Murphy said, adding that understanding between new signings would improve with time.
Among the second-half changes was the introduction of Mykhailo Mudryk, who made his first Premier League appearance since November 2024 following a doping ban. De Zerbi said the winger, along with fellow forward Mathys Tel, still needs time to adjust. "He needs time and he needs work... Two big players with potential," the manager said.
Savio and Destiny Udogie were withdrawn after roughly an hour as part of a pre-planned rotation for medical reasons, according to De Zerbi, who insisted both remain central to his plans despite his frustration at not having them for the full match.
With Tottenham still searching for their attacking identity, De Zerbi's message remains one of patience as the club looks to translate its summer investment into results on the pitch.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.