James Maddison opened the scoring with a fine strike in the 14th minute, curling the ball into the top corner, but Coventry City responded after half-time when Jack Rudoni equalised in the 49th minute.
Omar Marmoush restored Tottenham’s advantage with his first goal for the club in the 58th minute, before Ben Davies added a third in stoppage time to secure the points. Dejan Kulusevski’s return from a 526-day injury absence was another major moment for the home supporters.
Coventry manager Frank Lampard was disappointed by the final score but believed the performance deserved more.
“The first half I thought we were really good. Hard to say after a 3-1 defeat. I think the last goal was obviously a mistake. I think it distorts the picture of the game,” he told Sky Sports.
“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.”
Lampard also rejected the suggestion that Coventry’s single shot on target told the full story of their display.
“I wouldn't get sold on the target thing. I'd get sold on the overall play and the feel. They knew and the stadium knew how the game was going. We were a threat right until the end. Really positive on how we played. Kept pushing, kept pushing.
“We are never happy with a defeat, I don't want to over praise it, but I can be honest here and with the players in the dressing room and say we can come away with our head held high on performance.”
Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi was pleased with the result and his players’ response after conceding, while acknowledging that the performance was not as fluent as in recent games.
“I am delighted for the result, the attitude, the spirit and the reaction after the goal we conceded. Honestly we did not play so well like the last games,” he told BBC Sport.
“But now for our responsibility they deserve credit as they defended very well and compact.”
De Zerbi explained that Tottenham became predictable when they struggled to move the ball quickly, adding that the back-three system had been influenced by injuries. He praised Dominic Solanke’s contribution and highlighted the importance of the supporters after a difficult run.
“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.”
Lampard said Coventry would take confidence from their display while keeping their feet on the ground ahead of a challenging fixture against Fulham. Tottenham, meanwhile, will hope the victory marks a turning point after going winless in their opening six league games.