A delighted Roberto De Zerbi praised Tottenham as “a very good team” after they claimed their first Premier League win of the season by beating Coventry City 3-1.
Spurs had begun the season without a win in six in the league, but James Maddison’s goal on his first start since May last year put them on course for victory.
Jack Rudoni equalised four minutes into the second half. However, Omar Marmoush’s first Tottenham goal and a stoppage-time strike from Ben Davies clinched a win that moved Tottenham out of the relegation zone.
De Zerbi has previously been publicly critical of his side amid their struggles, pointing to problems with mentality.
However, he was full of plaudits for his players following their long-awaited triumph.
“I am delighted for the result, the attitude, the spirit and the reaction after the goal we conceded,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports.
“Honestly we did not play so well like the last games. But now for our responsibility they deserve credit as they defended very well and compact.
“Now we have to understand 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.”
Coventry failed to claim a third successive win, but manager Frank Lampard still saw reasons for positives.
“The first half I thought we were really good. Hard to say after a 3-1 defeat,” Lampard said to Sky Sports.
“I think the last goal was obviously a mistake. I think it distorts the picture of the game.
“I think the players showed a belief in how they were playing, we were a threat right up until the end. When you consider where we are, we have come up from the Championship. I think we’ve progressed in this first period of games.
“We came up against a fully loaded squad. Eight of the boys who started, played for us last year at the Championship. I just thought they showed real personality in how they played.
“The last goal changes the feel slightly but it shouldn’t do in terms of how we performed.”
