Aston Villa picked up their first Premier League point of the season but extended their extraordinary goal drought after being held to a 0-0 draw by Hull City at the MKM Stadium.
Unai Emery’s side finally registered their first shot on target of the campaign through George Hemmings, but three league games have now passed without a Villa goal.
That means Villa have also joined an unwanted piece of English top-flight history after failing to score in their opening three league matches for the second consecutive season.
Hull City 0-0 Aston Villa as Villa finally threaten goal
Villa made a bright start and almost broke their duck inside two minutes.
Ian Maatsen delivered from the left and Nicolas Jackson rose between the Hull centre-backs, but his header drifted wide of the near post.
The breakthrough moment in one sense arrived 12 minutes later.
Hemmings was released inside the penalty area by Ross Barkley and forced Konstantinos Tzolakis into a save, finally ending Villa’s run of more than 200 Premier League minutes without a shot on target.
The Guardian’s live report from the MKM Stadium also recorded Barkley testing Tzolakis during a first half in which Villa showed considerably more attacking intent than against Brighton or Arsenal.
But the goal still would not come.
Buendía wastes Aston Villa’s biggest chance
Villa should arguably have taken the lead shortly after half-time.
Hemmings produced one of the best moments of the game, bursting past Lewie Coyle down the left before cutting the ball back towards Emiliano Buendía.
The Argentine had a clear opportunity from around eight yards but sent his effort well over the crossbar.
John McGinn had gone close only minutes earlier after combining with Buendía and Jackson, but he was also unable to find the target.
Those misses became increasingly costly.
Hull came closest to scoring when Mohamed Belloumi collected the ball after a corner in the 66th minute and curled an excellent left-footed effort against the crossbar with Zion Suzuki beaten. The Guardian described Belloumi’s strike as Hull’s clearest opening.
Emery eventually turned to his bench after 76 minutes.
Alejandro Garnacho, Matteo Ruggeri and Alysson were introduced for Hemmings, Maatsen and Buendía as Villa searched for a winner.
However, £47million Deadline Day signing Ibrahim Mbaye remained an unused substitute despite Villa’s continuing problems in front of goal.
Aston Villa make unwanted history after third blank
The draw at least gets Villa off the mark after defeats to Brighton and Arsenal.
But the bigger issue has not disappeared.
Villa have now failed to score in all three of their opening Premier League games.
Before Saturday, our analysis of Aston Villa’s remarkable scoring drought highlighted Opta data showing that only Ipswich Town had previously failed to score in their first three top-flight matches in consecutive seasons, doing so in 1969/70 and 1970/71.
Villa have now joined them.
The one historical embarrassment they did avoid was becoming the first Premier League team since shot-on-target records began to go through its opening three games without testing a goalkeeper.
Hemmings ensured that record disappeared early.
The scoring problem remains.
Emery had challenged his players to raise their standards after the transfer window closed, but this was another performance in which promising possession too rarely became decisive attacking moments.
Hull, meanwhile, have now taken seven points from their opening three games and remarkably still have not conceded a Premier League goal after promotion.
Villa finally have a point.
They are still waiting for a goal.
And after spending more than £250million rebuilding Emery’s squad this summer, that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
