Tottenham Hotspur's toothless start to the season deepened on Sunday as they were held to a scoreless stalemate by Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, extending their run without a Premier League goal to 400 minutes.
The result marked the first goalless draw in the history of the stadium, and boos rang out around the ground at the final whistle as home supporters vented their frustration at another blank afternoon in front of goal. Despite spending heavily in the transfer market, Spurs have now gone six hours of football without finding the net, a statistic that has drawn sharp criticism from pundits.
Speaking on Sky Sports, former player Jamie Redknapp did not hold back. "After spending £300m, I didn't think there would be a problem scoring goals. But to not score in six hours of football is absolutely diabolical," he said.
Tottenham started the brighter of the two sides, enjoying a lively opening 15 minutes, though they were unable to fashion a clear-cut opportunity. As the half wore on, Everton gradually grew into the contest and began to dominate possession, though their play in the final third similarly lacked a cutting edge. James Garner's first-half free-kick was comfortably held by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who was fortunate midway through the half when a stray pass fell straight to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on the edge of the box; his tame effort was easily saved.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Everton controlling large spells of the game without truly threatening. Tottenham's best chance of the match came in the closing stages when substitute Lucas Bergvall struck a effort from 22 yards that forced Jordan Pickford into a smart low save to his right, though replays suggested the shot may not have been destined for goal regardless.
Managers on both sides made a flurry of changes as the game progressed. Roberto De Zerbi brought on Bryan Mbeumo... reshuffled his side with Malick Thiaw and Lucas Bergvall introductions for Tottenham's opponents, while Thomas Frank's Spurs turned to their bench, introducing Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Bergvall in an attempt to find a breakthrough. Everton also freshened up their attack, with David Moyes-linked personnel changes including Jack Grealish's introduction, while Beto Santos and Youssef Chermiti entered late on to try to force something at the other end.
De Zerbi was shown a yellow card in the closing stages for his heated reaction to a decision, and he remained on the pitch giving instructions to his players well after the final whistle, visibly unsatisfied with his side's inability to convert their spells of dominance into clear chances.
Not every voice was despondent about Tottenham's display. One supporter, writing into a live blog, pointed to signs of encouragement despite the lack of goals. "This team is an improvement every game, they are starting to gel," the fan wrote, adding that with numerous new faces still bedding in, defensive solidity and improved passing offered reasons for patience even as the goal drought persisted.
For Everton, the point extends their unbeaten start to the campaign and continues a solid away record under De Zerbi, even if their inability to turn second-half territorial dominance into genuine chances will be a source of mild frustration.
Both sides will now turn their attention to their next fixtures as Tottenham search for their first league goal in over six hours of play, while Everton will look to build on a stubborn defensive display that yielded another clean sheet on the road.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.