Ipswich had waited 22 and a half years for this moment, and their vibrant support celebrated with fervor after nine seemingly endless minutes of added time. It was clear that their first Premier League win since April 2002 was entirely deserved, as they showcased a clever first-half performance, pulling ahead through goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap. They also demonstrated resilience in the second half. Rodrigo Bentancur’s header was the only contribution from Tottenham, who were disjointed throughout and never quite managed to mount a late siege. The outcome was another significant achievement for Kieran McKenna. The Ipswich manager, who began his career as an academy coach at Spurs, saw his side’s performance as a testament to his coaching.
McKenna knew Ipswich would need to execute their plan flawlessly to repel Tottenham, who fielded the same starting XI that had dominated Villa a week earlier. The visitors more than held their own from the start, and their lead was not undeserved based on the overall play. The opener came from good work by Jens Cajuste, who was starting in place of the suspended Kalvin Phillips. Cajuste changed the pace of a patient passing move with a burst through midfield. Eventually, he delivered an awkward cross from the right: Cristian Romero could only deflect the ball, and Szmodics, with his back to goal and under minimal pressure, executed an overhead kick that fizzed past Guglielmo Vicario’s dive.
Tottenham appeared sluggish at times, possibly due to the air miles accumulated during their recent trip to Istanbul. Things worsened before they could regain control, as Ipswich, despite setting up with a low block, committed men forward judiciously and at speed. Ipswich looked sharp and, crucially, hungry: both qualities were evident when Omari Hutchinson, refusing to go down under Bentancur’s challenge in midfield, ferried the ball from one end to another and slipped it left for Leif Davis. Szmodics, despite limping moments earlier, now sprinted to overlap and could center from the byline. Spurs were disoriented when Vicario knocked his delivery onto Radu Dragusin. The ball was heading in, but Delap, a thrilling prospect at 21, showed a poacher’s instinct to convert his sixth of the season.
Ed Sheeran, watching from the stands as Ipswich played in a pink kit he partly influenced, could join the visiting contingent in celebrating wildly. These goals were hardly unexpected. Within two minutes, Szmodics had forced a save from Vicario after more excellent work from Hutchinson, and after nine minutes, Cameron Burgess had leapt at the far post only to plant Davis’s corner onto the bar. The match was entertaining, with Ipswich setting up in a low block and Axel Tuanzebe returning to match Son Heung-min’s pace. By halftime, he had succeeded in subduing the South Korean, whose most significant involvement had been a third-minute cross from which Brennan Johnson might have done better than jab wide. He also saw a shot stopped by the Ipswich keeper Aro Muric, who was even sharper to turn Dominic Solanke’s effort wide with the score goalless.
But Spurs had been flat and would require a strong halftime talk from Ange Postecoglou, recalling their spectacular response to dispatch Aston Villa a week earlier. They sensed a way back almost immediately after the break when, from a corner earned through Muric’s acrobatic tip-over from Son, Solanke bundled in from close range. Ipswich, so aggrieved by recent video assistant referee decisions, were saved by the technology this time when the striker was correctly judged to have knocked the ball onto his own hand. By the hour, Tottenham, allowed all the territory in the world but snatching at opportunities, were hardly threatening. Ipswich, perilously deep for the most part but with a clear threat on the break, flickered again when the rumbustious Delap did superbly to tee up Hutchinson for a shot slashed off target. Postecoglou went for broke with Timo Werner’s introduction in place of Pape Matar Sarr, and the picture changed almost immediately.
The source was a surprise, Bentancur arriving on Pedro Porro’s outswinging corner at speed and powering his first club goal since January past Muric. Now Ipswich would be hanging on for dear life, Muric touching over a Werner piledrive and then getting lucky after fumbling another Porro set piece. A switch appeared to have flicked for the home side. Werner, set up in space by Son, spooned over with six minutes of normal time left, but Ipswich managed the latter stages well. When Muric saved from Solanke deep into added time, their season could begin in earnest.
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