TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1-2 IPSWICH TOWN: The Tractor Boys finally landed their first win in the Premier League this season as inconsistent Spurs came a cropper in North London
Tractor Boys beast Liam Delap was pretty in pink, but wide-open Tottenham went back to the fuchsia – the bad old days.
In the Premier League ’s shock result of the season, Ipswich chalked up their first win in the top flight since April 2002, when Darren Bent scored the only goal against Middlesbrough. Up in the posh seats, superstar fan Ed Sheeran endured a nervous nine minutes of added time but he was punching the air in celebration afterwards – and who can blame him?
This, Mr Sheeran, was the shape of phew. And don’t take anything away from Ipswich: They were terrific.
In their pink away strip, they were resilient and crafty on the break. Omari Hutchinson was a blur of activity, Delap bullied Spurs’ back four all afternoon and If left-back Leif Davis doesn’t get an England call-up soon, I shall scream.
Manager Kieran McKenna led his players over to the away section and conducted the celebrations of 3,500 travelling missionaries from Suffolk, as well he might.
But for dozy Tottenham, booed off after a complacent defeat, it’s back to the drawing board as far as their top-four hopes are concerned.
Champions League? You’re having a laugh. After knocking Manchester City out of the League Cup either side of bulldozing West Ham and Aston Villa, their first home defeat since September is a heinous setback.
“We started slow and passively,” admitted boss Ange Postecoglou. “We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. Second half we had chances but didn’t do enough to win the game.
“It’s just down to me. I’m not getting consistent performances from the players. It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility.
“We can’t give ourselves those kind of mountains to climb.”
Sheeran had already been out of his seat when Cameron Burgess kissed the bar with a far-post header from Davis’s corner when the Tractor Boys went in front after 31 minutes and the great crooner must have been thinking out loud about three points.
Swedish midfielder Jens Cajuste, only playing because Kalvin Phillips was suspended, sent a over a cross which smacked of optimism rather than creativity, but when it dropped Brennan Johnson hesitated and Sammie Szmodics found the bottom corner with a deft overhead kick.
Szmodics was the Championship’s leading scorer last season and his poacher’s instincts have not deserted him at a higher level. But Spurs could not have given more generously if Ipswich had rattled a Remembrance Sunday collection tin.
Somebody, especially Johnson or Pedro Porro, needed to take charge when Cajuste’s cross glanced off Cristian Romero and spent an eternity in the air. And things were to get even worse for Tottenham three minutes before the break in another masterclass of dithering.
Hutchinson and Davis were given too much space to launch a counter-attack (also known as ‘transition’ in the David Brent coaching manual) and Szmodics’ left-wing cross caused havoc. Guglielmo Vicario appeared to get a touch, Radu Dragusin inadvertently nudged it goalwards and Delap made sure from point-blank range, his sixth goal of the season.
Ipswich’s goal was soon under siege after the intermission, but the whirlwind blew itself out. Heung-min Son’s dipping shot was tipped to safety by Arijanet Muric, then Dominic Solanke bundled home Dejan Kulusevski’s corner, only for VAR John Brooks to intervene and have the goal disallowed for handball.
Just as Tottenham’s salvage operation appeared to be drowning in frustration, the unmarked Rodrigo Bentancur headed home Porro’s corner and all bets were off. But strangely, staggeringly, Spurs ran out of steam and didn’t threaten again until Muric came to the rescue in stoppage time to foil Solanke.
They didn’t deserve an equaliser and Ipswich were not just jubilant on the final whistle. They were tickled pink.
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