Tottenham ended their six-match winless start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 victory over Coventry City, secured by Omar Marmoush’s first goal for the club and a late Ben Davies strike.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side were under pressure to claim all three points at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A failure to win on Monday would have left Spurs one match away from equalling their longest winless start to a Premier League campaign.
James Maddison put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute with a superb finish. Making his first competitive start for Tottenham since May 2025, the former Coventry playmaker collected Mohammed Kudus’ cutback just outside the penalty area before curling the ball into the top-left corner.
Tottenham were unable to extend their advantage before half-time. Dominic Solanke had a goal ruled out for offside and then sent another effort over the crossbar, allowing Coventry to remain in the contest.
The visitors equalised early in the second half when Jack Rudoni, who has been in strong form, struck from close range. Tottenham responded immediately, with Sandro Tonali shooting over as they pushed forward.
That pressure eventually told. Marmoush turned away from Milan van Ewijk, who was caught in the face by an elbow during the move, before curling the ball past Carl Rushworth. The Coventry goalkeeper may have been disappointed with the effort.
Rushworth was at fault again in the sixth minute of stoppage time, when he allowed Davies’ relatively tame shot to slip through and confirm Tottenham’s win.
Maddison and Kulusevski return
The match marked important comebacks for two Tottenham players who have endured difficult periods over the past year.
Maddison had not started a meaningful game for Spurs since the Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt at the end of the 2024-25 campaign. The midfielder missed most of last season with a serious knee injury, although he did return towards the end of the campaign.
Dejan Kulusevski’s return had taken even longer. He was included in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time in 526 days and came on in the 87th minute to a huge ovation.
The Sweden international was clearly short of match sharpness, but every touch and pass was applauded by the home supporters, who will hope his injury problems are now behind him.
Tottenham’s chances amounted to only 0.87 expected goals, but they became the first side to score three goals from outside the box in a Premier League match since Fulham against Leicester City in May 2023.
Spurs had also dropped more points from winning positions in Premier League home games than any other team since the start of 2024-25, surrendering 30 points in that period. Their poor home record would have added to the tension after Coventry’s equaliser.
However, Tottenham held on to move above Coventry and into 16th place. Their next match is away to Chelsea on Saturday.
