A delighted Roberto De Zerbi praised Tottenham as a “very good team” after claiming their first Premier League win of the season by a shootout City of Coventry 3-1
Spurs had started the season without a win in six in the league, but James Maddison’s goal in his first start since May last year put them on course for victory.
Jack Rudoni equalized four minutes into the second half. However, Omar Marmoush’s first Tottenham goal and a stoppage-time goal from Ben Davies secured a victory that lifted Tottenham out of the relegation zone.
De Zerbi has previously been publicly critical of his side amid their struggles, pointing to mentality issues.
However, he was full of praise for his players after their long-awaited triumph.
“I’m delighted with the result, the attitude, the spirit and the reaction after the goal we conceded,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports.
“Honestly, we didn’t play as well as the last few games, but now for our responsibility they deserve credit because they defended really well and compactly.
“Now we have to understand that we are capable of winning because after two or three seasons like this the mental aspect is crucial.
“We have to thank the fans, especially in the last part of the game, they were fantastic, they suffered a lot.
“We need to push, we need to improve the quality of play for sure, but we are a good team, a very good team.”
Coventry fell short of a third straight win, but manager Frank Lampard still saw positives.
“The first half I thought we were really good. It’s hard to say after a 3-1 defeat,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“I think the last goal was obviously a mistake. I think it distorts the image of the game.
“I think the players showed their belief in how they were playing, we were a threat until the end. If you think about where we are, we’ve come out of the Championship. I think we’ve made progress in this first period of games.”
“We came up against a full squad. Eight of the guys that started, they played with us last year in the championship. I just thought they showed real personality in the way they played.
“The last goal changes the feel slightly, but it shouldn’t work in terms of our performance.”
