Jamie Carragher's verdict impossible to argue with as Roberto De Zerbi told who to bench vs Chelsea

Jamie Carragher was rightly impressed by James Maddison's display for Tottenham Hotspur in the 3-1 win over Coventry City.

Maddison marked his first Premier League start in 18 months with his first goal in the competition in some 610 days.

The English playmaker did not miss a beat as he helped Spurs on their way to a much-needed first victory of the campaign.

He superbly fired past Carl Rushworth from outside the box, with that the 21st goal he has scored outside the box in the Premier League.

That is at least two more than any other player, with Kevin De Bruyne and James Ward-Prowse on 19 each.

Maddison may still be finding his way back to full fitness, but he now needs to start again versus Chelsea next weekend.

One Tottenham victim from James Maddison return

Maddison caught the eye in his cameo against Manchester United, even if he did only have 15 minutes on the field.

No Tottenham player registered more tackles (three) than Maddison at Old Trafford as he put in a strong defensive shift in midfield.

But it is goals and assists Roberto De Zerbi truly needs from Maddison, and that is what he got against Coventry.

Maddison scored one goal from an expected goals (xG) return of 0.1, with his only other effort a blocked shot.

The former Coventry player also had 70 touches in his 69 minutes on the pitch and completed 49 out of his 56 attempted passes (88 per cent).

As per Sofascore, that is on top of his four out of four duels won as he again showed he can do both sides of the game.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Carragher said it was "interesting" De Zerbi went with Maddison over the benched Conor Gallagher.

But Carragher added: "James Maddison definitely has more panache than Conor Gallagher in that No 10 position."

That is spot on, with De Zerbi now having absolutely no excuse but to again bench Gallagher against Chelsea and instead start Maddison.

In fact, the same line-up could well be used in terms of the attacking setup, assuming there are no injury developments.

Gallagher has his strengths - De Zerbi has hailed him multiple times, after all - and will have a part to play this season.

But the attackers used against Coventry - Maddison very much included - must retain their places in the side.

The remarkable stat Mohammed Kudus is now joint-top in

Maddison's opening goal was assisted by Mohammed Kudus, who showed some great footwork.

That is now two assists in his past three games, while he is tied for the most assists among Spurs players this term, despite playing just five games.

With Maddison and Kudus back, plus Dejan Kulusevski also returning off the bench for his first appearance in 526 days, this really may be a turning point for De Zerbi and his side.