Tottenham Hotspur secured their first Premier League point of the season with a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday, though the match was overshadowed by a controversial VAR decision that disallowed a Forest goal.
Nottingham Forest’s Neco Williams appeared to have put his side ahead in the 66th minute following a defensive lapse by Tottenham’s Sandro Tonali and Jan Paul van Hecke. After Morgan Gibbs-White’s chip over Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was partially cleared but remained loose, Williams reacted quickly to push the ball over the line. However, the goal was ruled out after a video assistant referee (VAR) review for a potential handball.
Referee Craig Pawson, acting on advice from VAR official Peter Bankes, disallowed the goal due to Williams seemingly handling the ball during the attempt. Replays showed Williams shielding his face with his hands, but whether the ball struck his arm was inconclusive. Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner strongly disagreed with the decision, arguing the evidence was not clear enough to overturn the on-field call. Glasner criticized the VAR intervention as speculative, emphasizing the need to maintain a high threshold for overturning referee decisions.
Williams himself insisted that the ball had not hit his hand, stating he had headed it between his arms. The disallowed goal left Forest unable to break the deadlock, resulting in a 0-0 draw that did little to satisfy either side.
For Tottenham, the result marked another scoreless outing, leaving the team with no goals and no wins in their first three league matches—a start not seen since the 1974-75 season. Manager Roberto De Zerbi introduced newcomers Savio and Omar Marmoush in the starting lineup, with the pair showing glimpses of promise but failing to convert opportunities. Marmoush, in particular, missed a near-certain chance in the first half, saved only by an offside flag. His performance included a misplaced shot in the second half, while substitute Dominic Solanke narrowly missed with a late header.
De Zerbi acknowledged room for improvement in Tottenham’s attacking play, particularly in decision-making and composure in the final third. He singled out his wingers, Mathys Tel and Savio, for criticism and highlighted the quality of the squad as a basis for optimism going forward.
Lineups featured Nottingham Forest in a 3-4-2-1 formation with key players such as James McAtee and Gibbs-White providing attacking support. Tottenham deployed a 4-2-3-1 system, with Tonali, Bentancur, and Gallagher operating in midfield, and Mudryk and Kudus introduced later in the game. Both teams received bookings: Nottingham Forest's Milenkovic and McAtee, and Tottenham's Udogie and Fernandes. Referee Craig Pawson officiated the match.
The draw extended Tottenham’s winless streak and left both teams seeking greater consistency as the Premier League season progresses.