Nottingham Forest and Tottenham shared a point in a 0-0 draw at City Ground on Saturday, a match remembered most for what did not stand. Williams thought he had given the hosts a 69th-minute lead, only for VAR to rule out the effort, according to the Guardian. For Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham, the stalemate represents their first point of the Premier League season after back-to-back defeats, though questions remain about a forward line that mustered zero shots on goal across 90 minutes.
Key Moments
- 45′, Udogie picked up a yellow card for Tottenham just before the break, a booking that factored into De Zerbi’s decision to withdraw him early in the second half.
- 52′, Milenković was cautioned for a foul, Forest’s first yellow of the game as the second half grew scrappier.
- 59′, Oliver Glasner made a double substitution, sending on Muñoz for Aina and Igor Jesus for Ndoye, looking to inject more attacking threat.
- 61′, De Zerbi responded with his own double change, replacing the booked Udogie with Robertson and bringing Kudus on for Sávio.
- 69′, Williams put the ball in the net for Forest, but VAR intervened and chalked off the goal, keeping the score level.
- 74′, Glasner threw on Wood for Delap as Forest pushed for a winner; De Zerbi simultaneously replaced Tel with Mudryk.
- 84′, Tottenham made two late substitutions, Mateus Fernandes coming on for Gallagher and Solanke replacing Omar Marmoush, with Mateus Fernandes then immediately shown a yellow card.
Tactical Breakdown
Tottenham dominated the ball throughout, finishing with 59% possession and 443 passes compared to Forest’s 311. De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 generated 10 corner kicks and 9 shots from inside the box, but the final product was absent entirely: Spurs did not register a single shot on target. Sávio was lively in the first hour before his withdrawal, and J. van Hecke was the side’s standout performer, but the attacking triangle of Tel, Omar Marmoush, and Gallagher combined for little of note.
The match’s defining tactical moment came in the 61st minute when De Zerbi pulled off the already-booked Udogie and introduced Kudus alongside Robertson. The reshuffle gave Tottenham wider width but did little to sharpen their cutting edge. On the Forest side, Glasner’s double change at 59 minutes brought Igor Jesus up front and Muñoz into the defensive structure, and it was shortly after those adjustments that Williams had his goal disallowed, representing the match’s clearest moment of drama.
Forest played out of a 3-4-2-1 and sat at 41% possession without looking uncomfortable. Their defensive shape largely restricted Tottenham to peripheral attempts, conceding zero shots on target. The disallowed goal aside, the hosts created relatively little themselves, with only 2 shots on goal from 12 attempts, and Gibbs-White failed to have the influence Glasner would have hoped for from the number 10 position. Ultimately, Forest were good value for a point even if they will feel aggrieved about the VAR call.
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Verdict
The draw leaves Nottingham Forest at 16th with 2 points from three games, while Tottenham sit one place below in 17th with their first point of the season. De Zerbi’s rebuilt attack has yet to score a Premier League goal this campaign, a concern that will deepen if the supply chain issues seen at City Ground persist into the next fixture.