Tottenham disappoint, earn first scoreless draw in 93 matches

First half

Crisp passing from the outset saw Tottenham boss possession in the first 20 minutes or so. But Watford, through their robust physicality and superb defensive organization, combated superbly the away side’s liveliness.

Watford started to gain a foothold in the match, but even so, there was little to separate the sides, with few chances to show for the first 45.

Troy Deeney had a soft header saved comfortably by Paulo Gazzaniga, while the best chance of the half fell to Lucas Moura. Dele Alli somewhat fortuitously, yet skillfully, flicked the ball into his own path to create a quick counter. He found Moura on a lovely weighted through ball, but the Brazilian wasn’t able to get enough loft on his resulting shot, which was saved well by Ben Foster.

The lack of a target man is overtly apparent for Jose Mourinho’s side, who appear benign, harmless and devoid of a cutting edge in front of goal. The need to sign a replacement striker becomes ever more pressing at Hotspur Way.

And supporters’ growing frustration is understandably coming to the fore.