A banner held by a Tottenham Hotspur fan ahead of kick-off said it all: "Please Score A Goal." Four Premier League matches into the Roberto de Zerbi era, that plea remains unanswered.

Spurs played out a goalless draw against Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, stretching their scoreless league run to 407 minutes — the longest such drought in the club's history across the opening four games of any league campaign in all four tiers of English football.

It was also the first time since September 2006 that Tottenham Hotspur have gone four consecutive Premier League matches without scoring, and it marked the competition's first ever goalless draw in 140 league matches played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

A £300m investment, precious little return

The weight of expectation heading into this season was enormous. Spurs spent more than £300 million in the summer transfer window, much of it intended to sharpen their attack under De Zerbi's progressive style. Instead, they have looked blunt and hesitant in front of goal.

Summer arrivals Omar Marmoush and Savio — both signed from Manchester City — were deployed in attacking positions, while Dominic Solanke earned his first league start of the season. Yet it was not until the 46th minute that Spurs registered a single shot on target, courtesy of £85 million signing Mateus Fernandes, which drew a wave of ironic applause from the stands.

Lucas Bergvall came closest to breaking the deadlock, with a long-range effort in the final minutes that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford saved after he had inadvertently gifted the Swede the ball. Mohammed Kudus and James Maddison also came on as substitutes but could not alter the outcome.

De Zerbi apologises to supporters

A visibly frustrated De Zerbi offered a rare public apology after the final whistle, telling reporters : "I'm sorry to the fans. We are sorry to the fans. They were fantastic, especially in the first part of the game because when they see the team is playing well, pushing to find the solution they were inside the pitch with my players."

He added : "In the second half, I observed many players had a little less confidence and I don't like this. They have to be happy and understand we are in the right way. If we play 90 minutes like we did in the first 30 minutes, I think we are going to win many games."

De Zerbi also grew animated at the final whistle, marching onto the pitch for an exchange with substitute Mathys Tel.

The numbers do not lie

Advanced metrics underline the scale of Spurs' attacking problem. Their non-penalty expected goals per shot this season stands at just 0.066 — a conversion rate of 6.6 percent. In practical terms, they are simply not generating quality chances.

Everton, meanwhile, were far from dangerous themselves but still managed to produce the game's two clearest opportunities through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Brennan Johnson — both of which were missed. Defender Jarrad Branthwaite was outstanding for the visitors, strengthening his claim for a place in Thomas Tuchel's next England squad.

Richarlison watches from the sidelines

Spurs' woes were observed at close range by Richarlison, the 29-year-old Brazil striker currently in dispute with the club over the final nine months of his contract. He was omitted from De Zerbi's Premier League squad after a proposed deadline-day return to former club Everton collapsed, while a move to Vasco da Gama in Brazil also fell through.

For context, Spurs' last Premier League goal came against Everton on the final day of last season — scored by Joao Palhinha — and it was enough to keep them in the top flight. After back-to-back 17th-placed finishes, the new era was supposed to represent a clean break. Four matches in, it feels anything but.