Tottenham avoided a shock defeat in the third round of the English League Cup after scoring two late goals to beat second-division Coventry 2-1 on Wednesday.
Djed Spence evened the score in the 88th minute at Coventry Arena after Brandon Thomas-Asante had fired the home team ahead in the 63rd.
Brennan Johnson completed Spurs’ comeback with the winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
Coventry had come agonizingly close to upsetting Manchester United in the semifinal of the FA Cup last season – losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Wembley.
And it was another heartbreak against Premier League opposition after Tottenham’s late rescue act.
“Coventry were outstanding with the energy they brought, we had to dig deep today and we found what we needed to win the game,” Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou said.
Elsewhere, Wolverhampton’s troubled start to the season continued with a 3-2 loss at Brighton that saw it eliminated from the competition.
Carlos Baleba and Simon Adingra gave Brighton a 2-0 lead at Amex Stadium and Goncalo Guedes pulled one back for Wolves before halftime.
Ferdi Kadioglu made it 3-1 in the 85th and Tommy Doyle scored a consolation for Wolves in the 90th.
Coventry had come agonisingly close to upsetting Manchester United in the semi final of the FA Cup last season — losing on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Wembley.
And it was another heartbreak against Premier League opposition after Tottenham’s late rescue act.
Speaking post-match, Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou was pleased with how his side persisted.
“Coventry were outstanding with the energy they brought, we had to dig deep today and we found what we needed to win the game,” he told media.
“We had to hang in there. We had to work really, really hard just to stay in the game and obviously going a goal behind makes it even more challenging.
“At the end, we showed some real spirit and character, which is probably what’s been missing in the first four games.
“We’ve had the performance, but we haven’t had that relentlessness to get a result. You sense that in the last 10 minutes, we got real belief out of that and hopefully that’s a good sign moving forward.”
In the lead-up to the match, Postecoglou found himself in hot water after the club slumped to its worst return in the opening games since the 2015-16 season following a 1-0 loss to north London rivals Arsenal.
A fourth loss in five games would have reignited criticism of his controversial remarks from earlier in the week that he “always wins” silverware in his second year with a club — a true statement considering his coaching record.
While the result against Coventry could be pivotal to the Spurs’ season, Postecoglou admitted that it will not solve the problems plaguing the club.
“I don’t think there’s an easy or quick fix to where we want to get to and one result doesn’t change that,” he said.
Tottenham will next play Brentford on Sunday. The remaining third-round ties will also be played next week.
Elsewhere, Wolverhampton’s troubled start to the season continued with a 3-2 loss at Brighton which saw it eliminated from the competition.
Carlos Baleba and Simon Adingra gave Brighton a 2-0 lead at Amex Stadium and Goncalo Guedes pulled one back for Wolves before half time.
Ferdi Kadioglu made it 3-1 in the 85th and Tommy Doyle scored a consolation for Wolves in the 90th.