Nottingham Forest’s wait for a first victory of the season goes on as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground.
The Reds will feel they should have taken all three points, though. Neco Williams was controversially denied a second-half winner when VAR ruled out his goal for a handball.
Looking to build on last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool, head coach Oliver Glasner handed a first start to summer signing Liam Delap. It was Murillo and James McAtee who had the first sights of goal for the hosts, though, as the hosts grew into the game after a somewhat sloppy start.
Spurs had already posed a threat from a run of corners by that point and they really should have taken the lead with 17 minutes gone. Omar Marmoush somehow dragged an effort wide when clean through with only Matz Sels to beat.
Morgan Gibbs-White and James McAtee responded by trying their luck for the hosts but it was defender Jair Cunha who almost broke the deadlock. The Brazilian’s fierce effort from outside the box was a whisker away from going the right side of the crossbar.
Gibbs-White then had a good chance shortly before the whistle when put through by Delap. When the playmaker shot straight at Antonin Kisnsky his blushes were spared by the offside flag, but replays suggested it was close.
Neco Williams thought he had made the breakthrough with a header with little more than 20 minutes to go. The Welshman made sure Gibbs-White’s clipped effort went in, but a VAR check deemed the ball hit his hand on its way in.
The City Ground let the officials know what they thought of that decision as it left Forest still searching for their first win of the season.