A delighted Roberto De Zerbi hailed Tottenham as a “very good team” after beating Coventry City 3-1 for their first Premier League win of the season.
Spurs started the season without six league wins, but James Maddison’s goal on his first start since May last year led them to victory.
Jack Rudoni equalized four minutes into the second half. However, Omer Marmoush’s first Tottenham goal and Ben Davies’ stoppage-time strike sealed the victory that lifted Tottenham out of the relegation zone.
De Zerbi has previously been outspoken in his criticism of his side amid struggles, hinting at mental issues.
However, he was full of praise for his players after the long-awaited triumph.
“I’m very happy with the result, the attitude, the spirit and the reaction after the goal we conceded,” De Zerbi told Sky Sports.
“To be honest, we didn’t play as well as in the last games, but now they deserve credit for our responsibility because they defended very well and compactly.
“Now we have to understand that we can win, because after two or three seasons like this, the mental aspect is decisive.
“We have to thank the fans, especially in the last part of the game they were fantastic, they suffered a lot.
“We have to push, we definitely have to improve the quality of the game, but we are a good team, a very good team.”
Coventry fell short of a third win in a row but manager Frank Lampard still saw positive reasons.
“I thought we were really good in the first half. It’s hard to say after losing 3-1,” Lampard told Sky Sports.
“I think the last goal was clearly a mistake, I think it distorts the picture of the game.
“I think the players showed confidence in how they played, we were a threat right up until the end. If you think about where we are, we’re out of the Championship. I think we improved in the first period of games.
“We came up against a full squad. Eight of the lads who started played for us in the Championship last year. I just thought they showed real personality in their game.
“The last goal changes the feeling a bit, but it shouldn’t in terms of how we performed.”