Brighton & Hove Albion 0-0 Nottingham Forest: Hosts held to goalless draw by strugglers
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Brighton had 19 efforts on goal against Nottingham Forest
Brighton's winless run under new boss Roberto de Zerbi continued with a frustrating Premier League draw against strugglers Nottingham Forest.
The Italian is the first Brighton manager to fail to win any of his first four league games since Barry Lloyd in 1987.
The results sees Brighton stay seventh after stuttering in recent weeks, picking up just two points from four games since the departure of Graham Potter to Chelsea.
However, quite how the hosts did not manage to win will mystify and exasperate the new man at the helm.
De Zerbi's side were dominant throughout and spurned several gilt-edged chances against a Forest side that appeared happy to try to contain their opponents.
Leandro Trossard saw a powerful effort cannon back off the crossbar and was twice denied by good saves from Dean Henderson.
Both Adam Webster and Joel Veltman missed glaring opportunities from close range and Henderson came to Forest's rescue again late on, his superb save from Pascal Gross ensuring that Steve Cooper's men climb off the bottom of the table.
Brighton's old flaw returns
Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest: Roberto de Zerbi thanks side for creativity
Having seemingly solved their problems in front of goal earlier in the season, Brighton's last four fixtures have delivered a reminder of their major flaw over the last three campaigns in which they averaged just above a goal a game.
Just as in their recent defeats against Tottenham and Brentford, their dominance of the ball did not translate into goals or points with 54 efforts on goal providing a return of just one point.
Forest's on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Henderson can claim a considerable share of the credit for holding them at bay in this contest.
He bravely scooped the ball away from Danny Welbeck's feet during the first period and athletically saved two stinging efforts from Brighton's Belgian forward Trossard.
However, tipping Gross' mis-hit effort to safety when it appeared destined to bounce into the top-left corner was arguably his best moment of the night.
Forest fail to strike the right balance
Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest: Steve Cooper says draw a 'small step forward'
Cooper will take some encouragement from seeing his side stem the flow of goals against them over the last three games.
But there will also be an equal measure of concern as he reflects over a winless sequence of nine matches that stretches back to Forest's first home game of the season at the City Ground.
Tactical tweaks to shore up a defence that shipped 18 goals in five matches have worked to a point but it is clear Forest are yet to strike the right balance, with their potency in attack suffering as a consequence.
Forest are not yet detached from the clubs directly above them - but Cooper will know that too many more matches where they fail register a single effort on target could mean their return to the top flight is short-lived.
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