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Maddison sparkles on Spurs return as win drought ends

football19 October 2026 21:00| © AFP
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James Maddison made a sensational return to Tottenham's starting line-up after 17 months away on Monday as Spurs beat Coventry 3-1 to claim their long-awaited first Premier League win of the season.

The England midfielder has featured only fleetingly since May 2025, when he suffered the first of two serious knee injuries.

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But Maddison needed less than a quarter of an hour to put Spurs ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a stunning first-time strike from outside the penalty area.

Jack Rudoni levelled early in the second half but the home side were back in front just before the hour mark when Omar Marmoush lashed home his first goal for the club and substitute Ben Davies made the points safe late on.

"I just wanted to play well, I just wanted to show my qualities and show what I bring to the team and what the team's missed in the last 18 months or whatever it is from my last start," Maddison told Sky Sports.

"So the gaffer asked me to play and he wanted to enjoy watching me from the side, so hopefully I did that."

The Spurs playmaker said he believed he could help propel his team up the table as they seek to avoid the indignity of last season, when they narrowly escaped relegation.

"I'm 29, I've still got plenty of years left, and I have a lot of self-belief, and I know that I have quality that can really help us in this league," he added.

WINLESS SPURS

Spurs came into the match rock bottom of the Premier League and with the unwanted record of being the only team in England's top six divisions without a league win this season despite a huge summer outlay.

De Zerbi had taken his squad to Marbella in southern Spain for some warm-weather training in a bid to kickstart their season and it paid off against Frank Lampard's competitive Coventry side.

Maddison, who ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in August 2025, just three months after injuring the same knee, put his side ahead in the 14th minute after fine work from Mohammed Kudus on the right.

Lurking just outside the penalty area, he received the ball from Kudus and sent it curling past Coventry goalkeeper Carl Rushworth and into the top corner, sparking wild scenes of delight among the home fans.

Tottenham now had their tails up and threatened to overwhelm the visitors but Frank Lampard's newly promoted Coventry, who had won their previous two games, re-established a foothold.

Maddison went close to putting Spurs 2-0 after half an hour but his half-cross, half-shot curled narrowly wide.

But they failed to stretch their lead and Coventry were level in the 49th minute, courtesy of a Rudoni strike from close range.

Spurs lost the ball in the Coventry half and the visitors swept forward. Rudoni's cross hit a teammate but the ball fell kindly for him and he drove home.

Just nine minutes later Spurs were back in front when former Manchester City forward Marmoush held off Milan van Ewijk before unleashing an unstoppable shot.

Kulusevski, who suffered a knee injury in May 2025, was introduced in the final minutes to a huge ovation from the home fans.

Spurs veteran Davies made the three points safe deep into added time, poking home from the edge of the penalty area.

The win lifts Spurs up to 16th in the table, buying De Zerbi much-needed breathing space.

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