Tottenham v Lazio

Lazio 0

FT 90 +5
HT 0-0

By Chris Osborne BBC Sport

Tottenham Hotspur started their Europa League campaign with a goalless draw after failing to force a breakthrough against a stubborn Lazio side.

Clint Dempsey had a first-half header ruled out in a marginal offside decision, while the visitors struck the bar through Alvaro Gonzalez's volley.

Aaron Lennon and Dempsey failed to convert a messy goalmouth scramble.

And Spurs were left frustrated when Steven Caulker's late header found the net but was disallowed for pushing.

The Petkovic connection

Lazio boss Vladimir Petkovic will be familiar to Tottenham fans. He led Swiss side Young Boys to a 3-2 first-leg win over Spurs in the 2010-11 Champions League play-offs. The joy was short lived as Spurs won the return leg 4-0

In the first ever meeting of these sides the pre-match talk was dominated by their mutual links to Paul Gascoigne, who played for both clubs.

But, despite numerous chances, the game lacked the moment of magic the former England midfielder once produced with such frequency.

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas had suggested his team would hold the Europa League in a higher regard than last season when, under Harry Redknapp, they failed to progress past the group stage.

And the Portuguese's line-up reflected that, with only three changes made to the team that beat Reading 3-1 in the Premier League at the weekend.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was handed his first start since joining from Lyon and would have been relieved to watch Senad Lulic's low cross elude Miroslav Klose by inches, when the slightest of touches would have given the visitors an early lead.

Tottenham responded but Lennon inexplicably opted to cross after Jermain Defoe's neat through ball looked to have put him in on goal.

Bale, having switched flanks with Lennon, then thought he had provided Dempsey with the opener.

Fans honour Gazza

Paul Gascoigne, who played for both sides, turned down the opportunity to attend the game for "personal reasons".

Both sets of fans could be heard chanting his name in the first half.

Lazio hope he can watch November's return fixture at the Stadio Olimpico.

The American, making his full Spurs debut, nodded in Bale's cross but the effort was ruled out in the tightest of offside calls.

Lazio, living up to the Italian reputation for defensive stubbornness, rode out a period of Spurs pressure and created legitimate chances on the counter.

Klose should have provided a more telling cross when he picked up Dembele's wayward pass, and the German international later uncharacteristically air-kicked at an opportunity on the edge of the Spurs box.

But the Rome side's finest moment came shortly before the break when Gonzalez latched onto Jan Vertonghen's headed clearance and struck a superb 20-yard volley against Lloris's crossbar.

Lennon and Dempsey were both denied at the start of a more open second half, with Lulic and keeper Federico Marchetti somehow managing to scramble the ball away as the Spurs pair failed to convert efforts from point-blank range.

Defoe had the ball in the net but Bale, who provided the cross, was correctly ruled offside.

And Villas-Boas made his frustration with the officials clear when Caulker, who put in a fine defensive display on only his second Spurs start, saw his header from Bale's corner ruled out for a push on Stefano Mauri.

Rather than urge the home side on, the decision sucked the energy out of the game and, an Andros Townsend effort aside, Lazio managed to stifle any Tottenham momentum to take a hard-earned point back to Rome.

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas told ITV4:

"I think we did enough to get the win today. I am extremely happy with the performance and the effort that the players put in.

"You can't reprimand them for anything, they were outstanding, they managed to create enough opportunities to win the game.

"The team put the ball in the back of the net three times, but all the goals were disallowed by the ref, so it's a bit disappointing.

"It shows that we are on the right track to giving something back to the fans. We were superior against a team that is doing extremely well. We can be happy with that performance."

Lineup, Bookings (4) & Substitutions (6)

Tottenham Hotspur

25 Lloris
05 Vertonghen
16 Naughton
28 Walker
33 Caulker
02 Dempsey (Sigurdsson - 76' )
07 Lennon (Townsend - 81' )
11 Bale
30 Sandro
18 Defoe
19 Dembele (Mason - 90' )

Substitutes

23 Cudicini
13 Gallas
20 Dawson
06 Huddlestone
22 Sigurdsson
31 Townsend
38 Mason

Lazio

22 Marchetti
03 Andre Dias Booked
20 Biava Booked
39 Cavanda
06 Mauri Booked (Ederson - 90' )
08 Hernanes (Ciani - 90' )
15 Gonzalez Luengo Booked
19 Lulic
23 Onazi (Zarate - 80' )
24 Ledesma
11 Klose

Substitutes

01 Bizzarri
02 Ciani
05 Scaloni
07 Ederson
10 Zarate
18 Kozak
99 Floccari

Ref: Ovidiu Alin Hategan

Att: 25,030

Match Stats

Possession 59 41

Shots

9 1

On target

7 0

Corners

6 2

Fouls

7 21

Live Text Commentary

90:00 +4:34 Full time

Full Time The referee ends the match.

90:00 +3:42 Substitution

Substitution Mousa Dembele goes off and Ryan Mason comes on.

90:00 +3:42 Substitution

Substitution Anderson Hernanes goes off and Michael Ciani comes on.

90:00 +1:26 Substitution

Substitution Stefano Mauri leaves the field to be replaced by Honorato Ederson.

90:00 +1:08

Headed effort from the edge of the area by Andros Townsend goes wide of the right-hand upright.

89:01

Senad Lulic gives away a free kick for an unfair challenge on Andros Townsend. The free kick is swung in right-footed by Kyle Walker.

84:15

Kyle Naughton restarts play with the free kick.

84:15 Booking

Booking The referee shows Stefano Mauri a yellow card for unsporting behaviour.

84:07

Stefano Mauri challenges Kyle Naughton unfairly and gives away a free kick.

80:55 Substitution

Substitution Andros Townsend is brought on as a substitute for Aaron Lennon.

79:46

Inswinging corner taken by Anderson Hernanes from the left by-line, save by Hugo Lloris.

79:46 Substitution

Substitution Mauro Zarate comes on in place of Ogenyi Onazi.

78:23

Jermain Defoe concedes a free kick for a foul on Luis Cavanda. Direct free kick taken by Federico Marchetti.

78:23

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Luis Cavanda by Jermain Defoe. Direct free kick taken by Federico Marchetti.

77:07

Free kick awarded for an unfair challenge on Aaron Lennon by Senad Lulic. Steven Caulker takes the direct free kick.

75:29 Substitution

Substitution Clint Dempsey goes off and Gylfi Sigurdsson comes on.