Tottenham Hotspur finally secured their first Premier League win of the season, overcoming a resilient Coventry side with a 3-1 victory that lifted the hosts out of the bottom three. The result represents a modest milestone for Roberto De Zerbi’s squad, marking their sixth home league win since November 2024. While critics have noted that the stadium has hosted an equal number of Beyoncé concerts in that same period, the result provides a much-needed morale boost. But Spurs are finally singing a happier tune after dragging themselves out of the bottom three thanks to a messy but g, cynics will point out that this spectacular stadium has hosted as many Beyoncé gigs during that time. Spurs, who have struggled without Kuluseveki’s creativity, needed to cling to the positivity after their resolute draw at Manchester United.
James Maddison, making his first start in 536 days, broke the deadlock with a brilliant 25-yard curling strike. The England midfielder, who was targeted by jeers from traveling Coventry supporters throughout the match due to his history with their club, netted his first goal since scoring against Bodø/Glimt in the Europa League on May 1, 2025. The move was initiated by Mohammed Kudus, who beat Jay Dasilva before setting up Maddison to beat goalkeeper Carl Rushworth. Whose every touch had been booed by Coventry supporters apparently still seething with the England international leaving his boyhood club 10 years ago, used his rig, the Ghanaian laid a pass off to Maddison and the No 10. Mohammed Kudus was a surprise choice as an attacking right wing-back, Archie Gray partnered Sandro Tonali in midfield and Coventry had the first chance, a fast break ending with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto watching his deflected shot spin over.
The match turned controversial in the 59th minute when Omar Marmoush restored Tottenham’s lead. Coventry players were furious after referee Andrew Madley allowed play to continue while their right-back, Milan van Ewijk, lay on the ground. Marmoush, who appeared to catch Van Ewijk with an elbow during the sequence, spun into space and struck an exquisite 20-yard shot into the net. Despite protests and a review, the goal stood, and there was no intervention from the video assistant referee, Paul Tierney. Who otherwise had a quiet game, was fortunate not to be penalised for an elbow on Milan van Ewijk, the Egyptian forward.
Coventry had leveled the score early in the second half following a lapse in the Tottenham defense. After Jan Paul van Hecke lost possession, Jack Rudoni exchanged passes with Caleb Yirenkyi before jabbing the ball past Antonin Kinsky to silence the home crowd. Prior to that, Coventry had threatened through a deflected Tatsuhiro Sakamoto effort, while Tottenham’s own defensive resolve was tested when Micky van de Ven made a crucial intervention against Brandon Thomas-Asante.
The match also featured the return of Dejan Kulusevski, who made his first appearance after being sidelined for over a year with a knee injury sustained in May 2025. His presence on the bench provided an emotional lift to the supporters. Following the go-ahead goal, Ben Davies came off the bench to seal the result, drilling in a third for Spurs during added time.
While the performance remained a work in progress for De Zerbi—who recently took his squad to Marbella for warm-weather training—the victory pushed Coventry down to 17th place. Tottenham will look to build on this gritty performance as they aim to leave their difficult start to the season behind them. The encouraging thing is that they have been starting games well.
