Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur; Premier League
Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League.
The City Ground.
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Nottingham Forest 0-0 Spurs: Another blank for Roberto De Zerbi in goalless draw at City Ground
Report and free match highlights as Spurs fail to score in the first three league games of a season for the first time since 1974; Neco Williams had a goal ruled out by VAR for handball as he bundled home from close range
Saturday 5 September 2026 18:23, UK
Tottenham are still searching for their first goal of the Premier League season as they drew 0-0 at Nottingham Forest.
It means Spurs have failed to score in the first three league games of a season for the first time since 1974.
Defeats to Brentford and Newcastle in the opening two games of the season had put Spurs under early-season scrutiny after a summer spend of almost £400m in the transfer window.
The result could've easily been a fourth straight defeat had VAR not stepped in to disallow a Forest goal for handball after Neco Williams was adjudged to have bundled the ball home with his hand.
Spurs did create some moments but Omar Marmoush was particularly wasteful as Roberto De Zerbi's side failed to register a shot on target.
"We could score three or four goals today because if you take the wrong decision you don't score but it's still a chance," said De Zerbi.
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Forest are also waiting for their first victory after also going through a summer of change under new boss Oliver Glasner.
The key moments from the City Ground...
20: CHANCE FOR MARMOUSH! After battling his way past Williams, Omar Marmoush fires wide from the angle
51: CHANCE FOR VAN DE VEN! Micky van de Ven rises highest from a corner to beat Mats Sels but heads wide
65: GOAL RULED OUT! Forest fans are enraged as Williams' goal is ruled out by VAR
71: BIG CHANCE FOR MARMOUSH! The striker fires wide from 15 yards after a brilliant pass from Antonín Kinsky
Williams: It's a goal
Neco Williams speaking to Sky Sports about his disallowed goal:
"It's a goal.
"VAR is there for when there's a clear and obvious error - and for me, that's not clear and obvious. I've seen the images back and not one moment I thought I handballed it.
"I headed it in between my arms. If you pause it, it's going to look like it hit my arm, but it didn't hit my arm.
"I think a lot of decisions didn't go our way today. But this is football."
De Zerbi 'very happy' with performance
Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi to Sky Sports:
"Disappointed for the result. The performance, very happy, considering we start to work together last Thursday for the first time, for the first day. We played well. We can improve the decision with the last pass.
"The situation with Marmoush, where he shoots, Robertson was alone behind him overlapping, and if we improve in the last decision, in the last third we can score many, many goals because we have players with big qualities.
"Now is a tough moment to accept this result because I think we play well."
Analysis: Marmoush fails to fire
Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
"A first point but still no Premier League goal this season for Spurs.
"They actually finished the game with the same number of shots as Forest, three times as many touches in the opposition box and double the Expected Goals total.
"But Marmoush, in particular, failed to bring the cutting-edge quality in the final third, while Van de Ven and Solanke wasted good crosses with poor headers.
"A small step forward for De Zerbi's project? Perhaps. But not the performance or result to ignite their supporters' hopes and convince them yet that, after the big summer spend, this season is going to be substantially better than the last."
