Tottenham Hotspur finally ended their six-game winless run with a 3-1 victory over Coventry City, as James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies all found the net. However, there were still a few mixed performances to pick through.

Here are our three winners and three losers from Tottenham’s win over Coventry City…

James Maddison reminds Tottenham what they have been missing

It had been 536 days since we last saw James Maddison in a Tottenham starting line-up, and what a way to announce himself back. The England international scored an absolute belter from distance to give Spurs the lead inside 15 minutes.

It was also the first time this season that Roberto De Zerbi finally had a natural number 10 in his starting XI. The Italian has spent the opening weeks trying to make things work with number 8s Conor Gallagher and Mateus Fernandes in that role, but that hasn’t worked.

De Zerbi’s experimental formation did have its moments of uncertainty, as players tried to adapt to unfamiliar roles. And a big reason why it didn’t turn out to be a disaster was how involved Maddison was in the centre of the park. Almost every Tottenham attack went through him, and he always seemed to make the right decision whenever the ball came his way.

It is wonderful how much difference one fully fit, natural number 10 can make to a team.

Sandro Tonali is finally silencing his early-season doubters

Maddison was officially named man of the match, but Sandro Tonali was not far behind. After producing Tottenham’s best individual performance in last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United, the Italian delivered another excellent display in the centre of the park against Coventry.

It is finally nice to see that Tonali has settled in his new club, especially after the criticism he received for his early-season performances following his £100m summer move from Neewcastle United.

The midfielder recorded the most defensive contributions of anyone on the pitch (15), helping Spurs escape several difficult situations. He barely seemed to break a sweat, running tirelessly for the full 90 minutes and consistently giving his teammates an option when they were under pressure. (FotMob)

Dejan Kulusevski’s long-awaited return lifts Tottenham supporters

Welcome back, king!

It was a delight to see Dejan Kulusevski included in the squad after more than 500 days out, and even better to see him finally get a few minutes on the pitch.

De Zerbi was asked whether Kulusevski’s introduction was intended to give the stadium a lift as the game entered its closing stages, when nerves might have started to creep in as Spurs were only narrowly ahead. The Spurs head coach explained:

“Listen Kudus, I thought he was playing well, I think he could finish the game, but I thought of Kulusevski just for the fans. Just for the fans because they waited (for) him on the pitch and in the last 5-10 minutes for extra time, we needed the support of the fans.

“And they are fantastic with Kulusevski, with us, they suffered too much in the last 3-4 seasons, I don’t know, but they deserve to celebrate many, many wins.”

Kulusevski even found himself in a few promising positions during his cameo, which will have done him the world of good. There is obviously a long way to go before he is back to full match fitness, however.

And now for our three losers from the Tottenham win…

Mateus Fernandes faces an uphill battle for a starting spot

Mateus Fernandes was once again left out of the starting XI by De Zerbi, raising a few eyebrows given that the Portuguese midfielder had started only three Premier League games this season – all in an unfamiliar number 10 role.

With Rodrigo Bentancur suspended until next month, many expected Fernandes to finally get a chance in his preferred number eight position. Instead, De Zerbi went with Maddison, Tonali and Archie Gray in midfield.

The head coach did, however, clear up the reasons behind Fernandes’ absence, explaining that ‘Mateus Fernandes worked just the last two days because of his [newborn] son.‘

De Zerbi made several tactical tweaks for this game, and it is understandable that he would be reluctant to throw Fernandes straight into the starting XI after the midfielder had missed a significant portion of training.

Still, the trio who started in midfield largely impressed and that could make it difficult for Fernandes to displace any of them, when Tottenham face Chelsea next week.

Andy Robertson’s injury is the last thing Tottenham need

Destiny Udogie apparently picked up an injury at Old Trafford last weekend, ruling him out against Coventry and forcing Andy Robertson to once again fill in for him at left-back – the fifth time this season.

Unfortunately, five times proved too much, as the Scottish international picked up a hamstring injury with around half an hour remaining.

Robertson had not enjoyed his best game, either. His crosses from the left lacked some of the usual quality, and there appeared to be a disconnect between him and Omar Marmoush down that flank. To his credit, Robertson still managed to assist Marmoush’s goal, a stunning strike in the 58th minute.

However, the injury is an unwelcome setback for De Zerbi, with Udogie’s own fitness already a concern.

Antonin Kinsky still has plenty to prove as Spurs’ number one

Antonin Kinsky has not enjoyed the smoothest start to his first season as Tottenham’s number one, and seven weeks into the campaign, there are still concerns about his performances under pressure.

The Czech goalkeeper was partly at fault for Coventry’s equaliser early in the second half when Jack Rudoni struck the ball from close range. Although the effort was hit straight at Kinsky, he failed to keep it out, instead patting the ball into his own net.

Even the one aspect of Kinsky’s biggest strengths in the game – his distribution – was below par. He completed just two of his nine attempted long balls, with an accuracy of only 22 per cent.

A reliable goalkeeper can make the difference between a good team and a great one. Kinsky still has time to settle into the role, but he will need to improve quickly if he is to give De Zerbi the consistency Tottenham need.