Toothless Spurs blank again as new era turns into a false dawn — SkimNews
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- Tottenham drew 0-0 with Everton at home, extending their goalless Premier League run to 407 minutes and becoming the first Spurs side since September 2006 to go four successive league matches without scoring.
- Roberto De Zerbi apologized to supporters after the match, saying "I'm sorry to the fans," as Spurs dominated possession but managed only one shot on target.
- Tottenham's £300m summer rebuild produced just that lone effort — from £85m signing Mateus Fernandes, which drew ironic applause — while their non-penalty expected goals per shot sits at 0.066, a 6.6% expected conversion rate.
- Everton wasted the game's two clearest openings through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Brennan Johnson, sparing Spurs from defeat at a Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that had never previously hosted a Premier League goalless draw across 140 matches.
- Richarlison was omitted from De Zerbi's Premier League squad amid a contract dispute, after his deadline-day return to Everton and a proposed move to Vasco da Gama both collapsed.
- Jarrad Branthwaite delivered a commanding defensive display for Everton, strengthening his case for inclusion in Thomas Tuchel's next England squad following his recovery from injury.
Why it matters: A 0-0 draw that featured zero shots on target until the second half makes Tottenham's worst-ever start to a Premier League campaign quantifiable — £300m spent and an xG conversion rate of 6.6% — leaving De Zerbi under immediate pressure to turn possession into output before last season's 17th-placed anxiety resurfaces.
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