DEJAN KULUSEVSKI RETURNS AS TOTTENHAM BEAT COVENTRY

Dejan Kulusevski returned to competitive football after 526 days as Tottenham beat Coventry 3-1 in the Premier League on Monday night. He came off the bench in the 87th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, replacing Omar Marmoush with Spurs leading 2-1. Kulusevski had last played for Tottenham against Crystal Palace on 11 May 2025. Supporters cheered his name before kick-off and applauded as he entered the pitch. His first touch followed a pass from Archie Gray.

Kulusevski suffered a knee injury during the Crystal Palace match and later underwent two operations. The injury affected his patella and cartilage, and complications during recovery led to the second procedure. He travelled to Old Trafford for Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United the previous weekend before joining the matchday squad against Coventry. Before the match, Kulusevski wrote on social media: “I told you I would be back. Now is the time.” Roberto De Zerbi said Tottenham’s medical staff had cleared him to play.

James Maddison put Tottenham ahead in the 14th minute on his first start for the club since April 2025. Jack Rudoni equalised early in the second half, before Marmoush restored Tottenham’s lead shortly before the hour mark. Ben Davies scored in stoppage time to complete Tottenham’s first Premier League win of the campaign. De Zerbi said he had told Kulusevski about his place in the squad before the match: “I told him and he had a big smile on his face.”