Tottenham win again after 148 days: first victory with 3-1 defeat of Coventry as Kulusevski returns

After a long wait, disappointment and failure, Tottenham Hotspur have finally tasted victory again. On Monday night (20 October) the north London club beat Coventry City 3-1 to record their first win of the English Premier League season.

Tottenham are regarded as one of the Premier League's stronger sides, a club that for a long time finished every season inside the top six. But the last few seasons have gone badly for the London club. The matter is so serious that Spurs needed 148 days to win a single Premier League match.

Once in title races, Tottenham have spent recent seasons under the threat of relegation. Their previous win had come on 24 May, against Everton — 148 days earlier. The long winless stretch in between was a source of deep frustration for supporters.

On the night of this win Tottenham did not only gain three points; they also welcomed midfielder Dejan Kulusevski back to the pitch after a long absence. James Maddison and Omar Marmoush scored against Coventry, and for both men the goal was special. Ben Davies's late goal made the victory more certain.

Maddison put Tottenham ahead in the 14th minute. It was his first place in the club's starting eleven since May 2025. He marked the return memorably, sending the ball into the net with a fine curling shot.

Coventry, however, levelled early in the second half. Jack Rudoni scored in the 49th minute. After the game was tied, the hosts did not have to wait long.

In the 58th minute Marmoush scored with a powerful shot from about 25 yards. It was his first goal since joining Tottenham from Manchester City, and it put Tottenham back in front.

Late in the match a wave of joy swept the gallery at Kulusevski's return. The Swedish midfielder came on as a substitute in the 86th minute. He returned to the pitch after 526 days outside competitive football because of a knee injury.

Then, in the sixth minute of added time, Ben Davies scored to confirm Tottenham's victory. The hosts ultimately left the field with a 3-1 win.

With this win Tottenham have risen from the bottom of the points table to 16th place, with six points from seven matches. Winless in the first six matches of the season, the team had also struggled to score in earlier games. This time they scored three goals in one match to take the win.

Coach Roberto De Zerbi did not hide his relief after the victory. He said, 'We are very happy with this result. We played much better today than in the other matches. This win was very important.'

Defender Jan Paul van Hecke believes this win will inspire the team to move forward anew. He said, 'We knew we wanted to win and today was that day. I hope we can go further from here. We had to be patient. Coventry's low block did not make the game easy for us.'

Tottenham, who fought to avoid relegation last season, spent large sums building the squad yet could not find rhythm at the start of the new season. This win has finally brought some relief to supporters. The challenge now is to turn this success into consistency.