Our thanks go to Party Hard Travel for releasing their most experienced lads holiday rep to start for Tottenham for the first time in over 500 days and to whoever railed against the ‘game’s gone’ brigade to make Refcam part of modern day football coverage for what was a wonderful Premier League moment.

But James Maddison’s stunning goal came after a predictably frantic Spurs start against an in-form Coventry, who could easily have been a couple of goals to the good by the time Tottenham’s playmaking catalyst quick-stepped onto a Mohammed Kudus’ pass into his path on the edge of the box and sent the ball dipping and curling into the far corner.

In what would have been a most Tottenham of Tottenham parodies had the football gods been bending the narrative to their will, Antonin Kinsky was forced into a save before the score-box had even appeared on the screen; not long after Jamie Carragher and former Spurs midfielder Sandro mulled over the hosts failing to win any of their last 49 games in which they’ve gone behind.

Jan Paul van Hecke then very nearly put a stunning Tatsuhiro Sakamoto cross past his own goalkeeper before blocking a stinging shot from Coventry’s Japanese international with his head in the six-yard box without knowing a great deal about it.

It’s also very like Spurs to look pretty even while conceding those chances, as Roberto De Zerbi sprung a formation surprise. Tosin Adarabioyo was handed his first Premier League start at the heart of a back three behind a midfield diamond, with Maddison at the tip in the No.10 role.

And he really did sparkle in the opening exchanges, popping up in his positions and providing the sort of quality and confidence in possession Spurs have been sorely missing in the final third this season, as well as that clutch ability to make the telling difference.

Acting as a harbinger of doom for his and his side’s travails to come, Sandro Tonali was thrust in front of the Sky Sports reporter at half-time.

“One nil is not enough for us,” he said. “We have to be positive from the first minute of the second half.”

In the fourth minute of the second half Coventry were level as Jack Rudoni outmuscled Tonali in a classic ‘wanted it more’ way to chest and finish from close range after Van Hecke was caught in possession in midfield and then laboured in his attempt to get back into position.

Tonali was very good besides, but Van Hecke continues to put the willies up his teammates and the fans, while fellow summer signing Mateus Fernandes looked bereft of all confidence when he came on; seemingly unable to play a pass with the right part of his boot.

But sporting director Johan Lange was handed some relief following his much-maligned £300m summer spend thanks to Omar Marmoush, who turned his defender with the aid of an accidental elbow before whipping his shot into the far corner to put Spurs back in the lead before the more unlikely of two substitute heroes finally eased the nerves deep in stoppage time.

It’s hard to know which moment drew the greatest roar from the Spurs crowd: longest-serving player Ben Davies prodding in to ensure a first three points of the season or Dejan Kulusevski’s return to action after 526 days out with a ‘knock’.

They each overshadowed Maddison’s stunning opener, as will concerns over £137m duo Van Hecke and Fernandes in the cold light of day after a broadly positive performance from Tottenham which featured the promise of greater things to come.