Maddison revels in Spurs injury comeback after overcoming 'dark days'

James Maddison said his goal-scoring return to the Tottenham starting line-up was a "dream" after enduring several "dark days" during his recovery from injury. 

Maddison marked his first Premier League start since April 2025 against Liverpool with a stunning 14th-minute opener in Spurs' 3-1 win over Coventry City on Monday. 

Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies were also on target for Roberto De Zerbi's side, having seen Jack Rudoni level things up for the Sky Blues early in the second half. 

But it was Maddison who got things up and running at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a superb finish as he curled his effort over Carl Rushworth and into the top-left corner. 

Since making his Premier League debut in August 2018, Maddison has now scored 21 goals from outside the box, at least two more than any other player (Kevin De Bruyne and James Ward-Prowse, 19 each).

It was a result that saw Spurs earn just their sixth win in their last 37 home Premier League games (D10 L21), and their fourth league victory overall in 2026 (P27 D10 L13).

The match was Maddison's first competitive start for the club since their 2024-25 Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt, having gone through a nightmare recovery following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained last August. 

On his goal, Maddison became quite emotional, telling Sky Sports: "They're just a bit blurry. They're the ones you dream of. Recovering from the ACL last year, those dark days.

"They are the ones you dream of, those goals. Always the light at the tunnel for you. And for Dejan Kulusevski, I felt proud for him because I knew exactly how he felt.

"Those moments and those goals make it all worth it."

For the first time in 36 games, Spurs scored more than 2+ goals in a Premier League match, while it was the first time they scored 3+ goals on home soil in the league since MD1 last season against Burnley (3-0).

Spurs also became the first side to score three goals from outside the box in a single Premier League game since Fulham against Leicester City in May 2023. 

There was also a touching moment for Kulusevski, who was named in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time in 526 days, and he came on to a standing ovation from the home supporters when he replaced Mohammed Kudus in the 87th minute. 

It's a result that relieves the pressure on De Zerbi ahead of this weekend's clash with Chelsea, and the Spurs boss is confident his team can build on this morale-boosting win. 

"I am delighted with the result, the attitude, the spirit and the reaction after the goal we conceded," De Zerbi said. "Honestly, we did not play as well as in the last games.

"But now, because of our responsibility, they deserve credit as they defended very well and compact.

"When we went outside from Kudus and Robertson, we didn't push the ball with the right speed. We were too predictable, maybe playing three at the back.

"We played three at the back for injury reasons, first. We play with Kudus on the right wing and Robertson on the left wing, and with three number 10 with different characteristics.

"We scored two goals with these players, but we can't forget Solanke as he played very well.

"Fantastic moment and fantastic human [Dejan]. We celebrated him in the dressing room after the game. He is maybe the most important thing after this win.

"Now we have to understand whether we are able to win 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 have suffered a lot. We have to push, we have to improve the quality of the play for sure, but we are a good team, a very good team."