The Sky Blues knew an early goal would make the home crowd jittery, and Spurs needed Jan Paul van Hecke to block Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s fierce shot with his face to deny the winger on his maiden Premier League start.
Instead, the hosts took the lead for the first time in the league this season, with Maddison curling a delicious effort into the top corner from the edge of the box after 14 minutes. It was an extra special moment for the Coventry youth product, who had not scored or started a game since May 2025.
Spurs had the momentum and Dominic Solanke saw a goal ruled out for offside five minutes later, but the hosts otherwise struggled to turn their possession into clear-cut opportunities.
Solanke flashed a shot over the bar late in the half before Micky van de Ven made a brilliant last-ditch tackle on Brandon Thomas-Asante.
Tottenham looked comfortable, but they were pegged back four minutes after the restart, when Jack Rudoni pounced on a loose ball inside the box and squeezed his second goal in as many games past Antonin Kinsky.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side upped the intensity in response, and they regained the lead nine minutes later when Marmoush scored his first goal in Spurs colours with a brilliant curling shot into the far corner from 18 yards.
There was another special moment in the closing stages, when Dejan Kulusevski came off the bench to make his first appearance in 526 days following a string of injuries.
Tottenham were looking to score 3+ goals in the league for the first time since October 2025, and they did so deep in stoppage time when substitute Ben Davies drove home his second goal of the season.
It is only Tottenham’s fourth home win in their past 26 Premier League games (D7, L15), which moves them off the bottom of the table and into 16th place.
The Sky Blues fall to 17th as a result, below Spurs on goal difference, having now lost six successive matches against the North Londoners.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Key stats
- Tottenham scored three goals in a Premier League game for the first time since October 2025 against Everton
- Coventry City have now failed to win any of their last 48 matches when conceding first in the Premier League, a run that dates back to a victory over Charlton Athletic in March 1999
- Since making his Premier League debut in August 2018, James Maddison has scored 21 goals from outside the box, at least two more than any other player (Kevin De Bruyne & James Ward-Prowse, 19 each)