Roberto De Zerbi expressed his delight after Tottenham Hotspur secured a crucial victory over Coventry City, praising his team’s resilience while acknowledging that their performance could have been better.

The Spurs manager admitted that his side had produced stronger displays in previous matches, including their encounter at Old Trafford. However, he emphasised the importance of securing the result against Frank Lampard’s Coventry, a team capable of punishing even the smallest defensive mistakes.

“We are very happy for the result. If I’m honest, I think we played better in other games, for example at Old Trafford,” De Zerbi told the Premier League website.

“It was important to get this result. When you play a team like Coventry, you can’t see the difficult situation, but if you make a mistake then you see a counter-attack.”

De Zerbi also reserved special praise for James Maddison, whose spectacular goal caught the eye. The Italian highlighted the midfielder’s distinctive qualities and explained why his contribution remains important to the team.

“Maddison scored a great goal and that is important, he is a different player,” he added.

The Tottenham boss also revealed that Dejan Kulusevski received a special moment of recognition from his teammates in the dressing room after the final whistle. De Zerbi described the gesture as meaningful for both the Swedish international and the club.

“And we celebrated Kulusevski in the dressing room at the end of the game. It is a great thing for us and the player.”