Tottenham finally off the mark after scrappy win over Coventry

Tottenham finally gave their supporters something to enjoy, grinding out a 3-1 win over Coventry to record their first Premier League victory of the season. It was not a display that will live long in the memory, but after a miserable start to the campaign, the points mattered far more than the performance.

The result moved Spurs out of the bottom three and brought some overdue relief inside their stadium. Progress has been painfully slow, and there were still plenty of ragged moments here, yet a team short on confidence found a way to get over the line. For a side that has struggled badly at home in recent months, that alone represented a step forward.

Messy afternoon, massive result

Coventry made Tottenham work for everything and will feel aggrieved about the key moment of the game. After Jack Rudoni had pulled the visitors level, Spurs hit back quickly through Omar Marmoush, whose fierce strike restored the home side's lead. Coventry's anger centred on that goal, with the visitors convinced the sequence should not have stood.

That flashpoint changed the mood of the contest. Instead of Coventry building on the momentum of their equaliser, Tottenham suddenly found themselves back in front and able to manage the game from a stronger position. It still lacked fluency and control, but there was at least more edge and determination about Spurs when it mattered.

Ben Davies played a decisive part in ensuring the points stayed in north London, capping a match that said plenty about Tottenham's current state. This was not slick, dominant football. It was more a case of digging in, surviving difficult spells and taking the chances that arrived at important times.

De Zerbi gets breathing space

For Roberto De Zerbi, the immediate value of this win is obvious. Tottenham had been stuck near the foot of the table and badly needed a result to stop the noise around their start becoming even louder. One victory does not erase the broader concerns, but it does at least give the head coach something tangible to build on.

There remains a sense that Spurs are still some distance from looking like a settled side. They were vulnerable when Coventry attacked with purpose and did not always defend transitions cleanly. Even so, the willingness to respond after being pegged back was encouraging. In a season that had offered very little cheer up to this point, resilience was almost as important as quality.

What it means for both sides

Tottenham will hope this is the afternoon that settles nerves and allows confidence to return. Their supporters will not care that the performance was awkward if it becomes the platform for a run of improved results. The more pressing task now is to show this was not an isolated lift but the start of genuine momentum.

For Coventry, there was enough in the display to suggest they can trouble teams, particularly after Rudoni's equaliser injected belief into their play. Yet they leave with frustration as much as encouragement, feeling that a contentious moment tilted the afternoon away from them. Tottenham took the win, but the visitors ensured it was anything but comfortable.