James Maddison reflected on the "dark days" he endured while injured after scoring a stunning strike in Tottenham's 3-1 win over his former side Coventry.
The attacking midfielder took just 14 minutes to get on the scoresheet, whipping in a cracking effort over Carl Rushworth and celebrating with his trademark dart throw.
Maddison was the best player on the pitch in the first half, but Coventry equalised through Jack Rudoni as nerves began to creep in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Those nerves soon faded after Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies scored to secure Spurs' first league win of the season.
A special moment arrived in the second half when Dejan Kulusevski came off the bench after 526 days out.
Maddison, who only returned from anterior cruciate ligament damage last April, said: "I hoped (to start).
"I spoke to the gaffer about it this week and just feeling like the right moment for me to go back into the starting XI after a stop-start start to the season.
"I just wanted to play well, show my quality and show what the team's missed in the last 18 months, or whatever it is since my last start.
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"The gaffer asked me to play and said he wanted to enjoy watching me from the side, so hopefully I did that. And obviously a goal like that is always nice."
Maddison's goal was his first since his last start, which came in a 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals of the Europa League at the back end of the 2024/25 season.
"They're the ones you dream of. Without going too deep into it, them dark days last year, recovering from the ACL, you dream of them moments, them goals and that is the light at the end of the tunnel.
"That is why I was a bit emotional and I felt really proud of Dejan Kulusevski as well because him coming back.
"I knew exactly that feeling of him stepping onto the pitch after that time out, but those moments and goals make it all worth it," he told Sky Sports.
Coventry came into the contest having won back-to-back games against Nottingham Forest 1-0 and a thumping 4-1 victory over Newcastle.
The Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard was frustrated to leave north London with nothing after a solid performance.
He said: "A really good display. 3-1 changes the view at the end of the game, but I thought at 2-1 we were really pushing.
"It takes them two outstanding and world-class players to score their goals.
"(Tottenham) will get better and improve for sure, but when you think that eight of our starting players were in the Championship…
"You wouldn't know which is the team that has been in the Premier League for the last 25 years and who has been out of it."
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