Spurs host Coventry in first PL meeting since 2001

Tottenham Hotspur face Coventry City on Monday night in their first Premier League meeting in over 25 years, with the Sky Blues back in the top flight after Frank Lampard guided them to the Championship title last season.

Coventry spent 34 years as a Premier League club before relegation in 2000/01. They dropped as far as League Two in 2016/17 before working their way back to the top division.

The last Premier League encounter between the two sides came on 17 March, 2001, when Spurs won 3-0 at home. Headers from Steffen Iversen and Les Ferdinand put Tottenham in control before Ledley King set up Sergei Rebrov to complete the scoring on the hour.

Since that match, the clubs have met three more times in cup competition. Spurs won an FA Cup third-round tie at Coventry in January 2002 courtesy of goals from Gus Poyet and Ferdinand, and then beat them 3-0 in a League Cup second-round tie at Highfield Road in September 2003, with Robbie Keane starring and Fredi Kanoute and Rohan Ricketts also on target.

A decade later, Gareth Bale and Clint Dempsey each scored in a 3-0 FA Cup victory over Coventry at White Hart Lane in January 2013, with all three goals arriving before half-time.

The most recent meeting came in September 2024, a League Cup third-round tie at the Ricoh Arena. Coventry led through Brandon-Thomas Asante before substitute Djed Spence levelled with two minutes remaining and Brennan Johnson won it deep into added time. Spurs went on to lift the UEFA Europa League that season.

Both sides arrive in contrasting form for Monday's fixture. Tottenham are 19th in the Premier League table with three points from six games, while Coventry sit 14th on six points.