Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw by Everton, leaving Roberto De Zerbi's side without a win in their opening four Premier League games this season. It is the first time in the club's history that Tottenham have gone four league matches without scoring a single goal.
The result follows back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League and comes despite the club spending £320million on new signings over the summer, including £100million on midfielder Sandro Tonali, who is yet to have a significant impact on games. Tottenham have also not yet faced one of the league's strongest sides this season, adding to concerns about how the team will cope when they do.
Results are now considered urgent, with another finish of 17th regarded as unthinkable.
Tottenham dominated possession against Everton and created several openings but could not convert any of them. It was a similar story to their previous league fixture, a goalless draw with Nottingham Forest, where finishing and composure were also the main problems.
De Zerbi on confidence and fitness
De Zerbi said his players feel "blocked" in the final third. "If we unblock ourselves I think the team is extremely strong. We can score goals and win games," he said.
"We have not got the right physical condition yet. We played well the first 30 minutes and maybe we lost energy. Maybe we lost confidence. If we extend 30 to 60, 70, 80, 90, my opinion is we will win many games. We have to improve in the last third for sure," he said.
Line-up changes forced by injuries
De Zerbi made four changes to the team that had drawn with Forest. Two were forced by injuries to full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, which allowed Andy Robertson and Archie Gray to start. Robertson, a free signing, was excellent throughout on the left, while Gray struggled in his latest deployment at right-back.
Matheus Fernandes and Dominic Solanke came in for Mathys Tel and Conor Gallagher, with Solanke making his first start of the season. Omar Marmoush moved from the central striker's role to the left to accommodate him.
Everton manager David Moyes made fewer changes than his counterpart. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was given a start after impressing in Everton's previous match against Manchester United, while Jack Grealish began on the bench.
Chances missed before the break
Everton were under pressure for much of the first half and were kept level by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and a lack of composure from Tottenham in front of goal. For a large part of the opening 45 minutes, Everton had little need for attacking players such as Grealish.
Centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke shot over the bar from a moderately easy chance early on. Fernandes then failed to convert after Van Hecke split Everton's defence with a ball through the middle, needing four touches to control it before the opportunity passed. De Zerbi's frustration on the touchline suggested he shared the view that the chance should have been taken.
Savio caused problems for Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko in the opening stages of the match before fading as it went on.
Second-half fade and a late let-off
Tottenham's performance dropped off physically in the second half, which De Zerbi later linked to the squad's conditioning. Everton's Tyrique George beat Gray easily and floated a ball to the far post, where a header from Barry was blocked by goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
Kinsky then saved again, this time from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, after Tottenham attempted to pass through Everton's forward line. De Zerbi made a triple substitution in an attempt to reignite his attack.
Tottenham's closest escape from defeat came when Brennan Johnson, who used to play for the club, missed a good chance late on for Everton.
