Tottenham Hotspur picked up their first league point of the season on Saturday, battling to a 0-0 draw away at Nottingham Forest in a match short on quality but significant for Roberto De Zerbi's side.
The result ended a losing run for Spurs and denied Forest what would have been a fourth consecutive victory over the north London club. It also prevented Nottingham Forest from claiming what would have been a dramatic late winner, after Neco Williams saw an effort in the second half disallowed for handball as he bundled the ball home on the goal line.
Despite the lack of clear-cut chances throughout the ninety minutes, the point will be viewed by many inside the Spurs camp as a step in the right direction after a testing start to the campaign. The visitors showed resilience and defensive discipline to secure their first clean sheet of the season, even if their play in possession remained scrappy and their build-up chaotic at times.
De Zerbi's team have previously controlled matches for long periods only to come away empty-handed, so simply managing to hold firm and see out a result marks a psychological shift. There was fight in midfield from Tottenham, though they were unable to translate that effort into meaningful chances in the final third, ending the game without registering a single shot on target.
The fixture had been billed in the buildup as something of a tactical duel between De Zerbi and Forest boss Oliver Glasner, with both managers reportedly trading remarks beforehand about being able to anticipate the other's setup. That exchange proved prophetic, as the match unfolded into a cagey, low-quality affair. Just one shot on target was registered in the entire first half, and the second period offered little improvement, with both sides largely cancelling each other out in a congested midfield battle.
Forest were arguably the better side after the break and will feel hard done by not to have snatched all three points following the disallowed Williams effort. For Tottenham, though, escaping the City Ground with a point represents a small mercy given their toothless showing going forward.
The draw leaves Spurs still without a goal in the league through three matches, a troubling continuation of the attacking problems that have dogged them from the opening weeks of the season. De Zerbi did make changes in search of a solution, handing debuts from the start to new signings Savio and Omar Marmoush, who lined up together in attack for the first time. Yet the same underlying issues remained evident, with Tottenham struggling to convert territorial dominance into genuine goalscoring opportunities.
Savio, who arrived with plenty of promise after an eye-catching cameo off the bench in the win over Charlton, endured a frustrating full debut. The winger, a club-record £85million signing from Manchester City, saw plenty of the ball and produced flashes of neat, one-touch combination play, but too often his final act lacked incisiveness. Supporters who had eagerly awaited his first start, after he missed the previous match against Newcastle through injury, were left wanting more end product.
De Zerbi now faces the challenge of unlocking greater productivity from his new signing in the coming weeks. While it remains early in Savio's Tottenham career, and the same could be said for several of his teammates still adjusting to the manager's system, the pressure will grow for the club's marquee attacking investment to start delivering tangible returns.
For now, Tottenham will take the clean sheet and the point as modest signs of progress, even as their creative struggles in front of goal continue to define the start of their campaign.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.