Tottenham fail to score in first three Premier League games since 1974

Seven shots. Zero on target. Ninety minutes of Premier League football without a single shot threatening the Nottingham Forest goal. That was Tottenham’s output in Saturday’s stalemate at the City Ground — a result that cemented unwanted statistical history.

The London club entered the 2026/27 season as one of world football’s biggest spenders this summer, investing nearly £300M in new signings including Sandro Tonali, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, and Mateus Fernandes.

Yet their campaign has yielded just one point from three matches: a draw and two defeats. They now sit 17th in the Premier League table.

What the 1974 parallel means

This is the first time since 1974 that Tottenham have failed to score in their opening three league fixtures. The statistic applies strictly to top-flight English league competition — no qualifiers, no exceptions.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side has not registered a single goal across those three matches, a sequence that has drawn immediate scrutiny amid mounting pressure over tactical execution and attacking output.

Scoring drought by the numbers

Against Nottingham Forest, Spurs managed seven total shots — none directed on target. That follows two earlier league games in which they also failed to find the net.

The club’s last such three-match goalless start in top-tier English league play occurred during the 1974/75 season — a span of exactly 52 years.

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