Maddison Starts, Kulusevski Returns as Spurs Beat Coventry 3-1 for First League Win
Tottenham ended a winless start to the Premier League season, with James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies scoring.
Tottenham won a league game for the first time this season on Monday night, beating Coventry City 3-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies scored for Spurs, with Jack Rudoni getting Coventry's goal, according to Sky Sports.
How it unfolded
Maddison put Tottenham ahead in the 14th minute, his first competitive start for the club since May 2025, per Sky Sports. The Boy Hotspur describes the goal as a finish from outside the box, set up by Mohammed Kudus. Dominic Solanke had a goal ruled out for offside in the 18th minute.
Coventry equalised four minutes after the break through Rudoni, who was set up by Brandon Thomas-Asante. Marmoush restored the lead in the 58th minute, his first goal for Tottenham, with an assist from Andrew Robertson. Davies, on the pitch for about 21 minutes, scored in the sixth minute of added time from a Solanke pass to make it 3-1.
Dejan Kulusevski also came off the bench late on, returning from a knee injury after 526 days without playing, Sky Sports reports.
The numbers
The Boy Hotspur lists Tottenham with 66 percent of possession, 505 passes to Coventry's 225 and 16 shots to 12, with five on target to one. Expected goals were much closer, at 0.9 to 0.79, which fits the account of a match Spurs controlled without ever pulling clear. Supporters voted Maddison player of the match.
The reaction
Sky Sports reports that Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi said he brought Kulusevski on for the supporters, who he felt needed backing after a difficult couple of seasons. Coventry manager Frank Lampard said he expected VAR to rule out Marmoush's goal, though he was careful with his wording and said he would review it. He praised his team's performance and noted that eight of his starters had played in the Championship, adding that the scoreline did not reflect how close the game was.
What it means
The table shows how much the win mattered. Tottenham had gone six league games without a win and began the night bottom of the table, per Sky Sports. The victory lifts them to 16th with six points from seven games, level with Coventry, who sit directly below on goal difference (minus-eight to Spurs' minus-four), The Boy Hotspur reports. Spurs remain 15 points behind leaders Manchester City, who have won all seven of their league games.
It is one result, and a single league win does not repair a start like this. But with Maddison back in the lineup, Marmoush off the mark and Kulusevski available again after more than a year out, the game gave Tottenham some of what it had been missing.
Next up is a trip to Chelsea on Saturday, Oct. 24, with kickoff at 5:30 p.m. UK time.