Tottenham Hotspur are winners of three straight games in the Premier League for the first time all season after avenging an earlier loss to Ipswich with a 4-1 victory at Portman Road on Saturday.
WATCH - Ipswich vs Tottenham Hotspur full match replay
Spurs (33 points) remain 12th in the table, still four points behind Brentford in 11th, but Ange Postecoglou’s side once again has the 4th-best goal difference in the league (+15). Only Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are above them. Ipswich (18th - 17 points) are now five points behind Wolves outside the relegation zone after they beat Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Tractor Boys came flying out of the starting gate and were very nearly 3-0 up after 6 minutes, but Liam Delap was once denied by Guglielmo Vicario, once by the post and dragged another effort wide before Spurs had their first shot. Eventually the visitors settled in, and Heung-min Son and Brennan Johnson took over. Son beat his man and found Johnson not once but twice at the back post, in the 18th and 26th minutes, however it was anything but comfortable for Spurs from there.
Omari Hutchinson smashed one past Vicario in the 36th minute to halve the Tractor Boys’ deficit and restore belief that they could still get a result against Spurs for the second time this season. Luke Woolfenden thought he had pulled the hosts level right but the flag went up for offside after he took a free header right on the hour mark. Ipswich were hardly deterred and continued to chase an equalizer while Spurs struggled to regain control for much of the second half. But again, all it took was two moments of individual quality for Djed Spence to make it 3-1(77th minute) and Dejan Kulusevski to add the fourth (84th).
Spurs get stronger as game goes on
Oh, how nice it must be for Postecoglou to have a bench full of senior players that he can actually bring in the second half — and Spurs sure did need the injection of energy and quality to see this one out. Maybe more so than most managers, the ability to make five substitutions is a true game-changer given the intensity with which Postecoglou’s team plays. Destiny Udogie and Brennan Johnson both made their first starts since returning from injury and looked nearly out on their feet after an hour. So Postecoglou took them off, because he could. All that James Maddison and Dane Scarlett, two of the five who came on, did was provide an assist each for the late goals that put the game to bed. The knock-on effect is that half of the starting XI will be fresher when it’s time to go again on Wednesday — a simply luxury that Spurs were without for half of the season.
Player ratings - Ipswich vs Tottenham Hotspur
What’s next?
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City — Wednesday, 2:30 pm ET
- Manchester United vs Ipswich — Wednesday, 2:30 pm ET
Ipswich vs Tottenham Hotspur live updates - by Andy Edwards
Ipswich vs Tottenham Hotspur final score: 1-4
Goalscorers: Brennan Johnson (18', 26'), Omari Hutchinson (36'), Djed Spence (77'), Dejan Kulusevski (84')
GOAL! Ipswich 1-4 Spurs: Kulusevski cuts inside, bends it home (84')
GOAL! Ipswich 1-3 Spurs: Spence’s shot takes a deflection and loops in (77')
OFFSIDE! Woolfenden heads Ipswich level but the flag goes up (60')
Spurs are playing with fire here, not managing the game well and giving Ipswich every opportunity to tie it up.
GOAL! Ipswich 1-2 Spurs: Hutchinson slams home Clarke’s cut-back pass (36')
GOAL! Ipswich 0-2 Spurs: Son finds Johnson again after a nervy start (26')
GOAL! Ipswich 0-1 Spurs: Johnson touches it home after Gray, Son make magic (18')
Ipswich starting lineup
Palmer - Godfrey, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis - Phillips, Cajuste, Hutchinson - Philogene-Bidace, Clarke, Delap
Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup
Vicario - Spence, Danso, Gray, Udogie - Bergvall, Bentancur, Kulusevski - Johnson, Son, Tel
How to watch Ipswich vs Tottenham Hotspur live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10 am ET Saturday
Venue: Portman Road — Ipswich
TV Channel: USA Network
Streaming: Watch live online via NBC.com
Spurs (12th - 30 points) have not only won back-to-back PL games for just the second time this season, but kept clean sheets in each as well. Coincidentally, it was also Brentford and Manchester United who they beat in succession back in September. There is also the small matter of revenge to exact against the Tractor Boys, who handed Spurs perhaps their most crushing defeat of the season in November — sat in 18th at the time, Ipswich picked up their first win of the season in north London in matchweek 11.
Ipswich (still 18th - 17 points) have won twice more since and remain exactly where they were when they beat Spurs the last time — two points below the relegation line, not with just 13 games left to play. The recent defeat to last-place Southampton, who have just two wins on the season, could have taken all the wind out of their sails but Kieran McKenna’s side bounced back in a big way by drawing Aston Villa last weekend to snap a four-game losing streak. Still, Ipswich are winless in their last six league games (0W-2D-4L). There’s still plenty of time, until there isn’t.
Ipswich team news, focus
OUT: Axel Tuanzebe (suspension), Wes Burns (knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (achilles - out for season), Conor Chaplin (knee), Christian Walton (groin) | QUESTIONABLE: Sammi Szmodics (ankle), Julio Enciso (knee), Sam Morsy (abdominal), Leif Davis (undisclosed)
Tottenham Hotspur team news, focus
OUT: Richarlison (lower leg), Micky van de Ven (fitness), Radu Dragusin (torn ACL - out for season), Dominic Solanke (knee - MORE), Cristian Romero (quad) | QUESTIONABLE: Heung-min Son (knock), Kevin Danso (knock), Rodrigo Bentancur (knock), Timo Werner (thigh)
Ipswich vs Tottenham Hotspur prediction
Ipswich are facing a bit of an injury (and suspension) crisis themselves, just as Spurs are getting their feet back under themselves and relaunching their season. First goal for Mathys Tel. Ipswich 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur.
