Brennan Johnson scored twice in the first half to put Spurs in control
Djed Spence and Dejan Kulusevski sealed the victory in the second half
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Ange Postecoglu was wearing a vast grey padded coat that looked too hot for him – unable to put the bleak Spurs winter behind him until he could be sure of the recovery he's been promising.
After a little early anxiety, it came: Tottenham's first run of three successive Premier League wins since December 2023, with specific grounds for encouragement to go with it. An emphatic contribution from Son Heung-Min. Signs that Kevin Danso, the £20million January arrival from Lens, might ease the crippling crisis at the back, even though Mathys Tel, the new French teenage forward didn't really cut it.
And Jack Maddison, arriving from the bench to sprinkle some stardust quality which took Spurs home and left Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna wearing a bleak demeanour.
Son's significance was the greater. His winter struggles have mirrored his club's and with contract uncertainty coming up, he has seemed to have lost his way. He was on a different cognitive plateau to defenders who either clipped him or clung onto his shirt to prevent him spinning away, always with time to look up and assess the options. A few days off, playing one game a week, had perhaps helped.
How he and Spurs fare against Manchester City this week will provide a better perspective than a win over an Ipswich side who briefly seemed to pick up where they had left off with that win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last November..
McKenna's team set off like a train, shaking this beautiful old place to its rafters with the kind of uninhibited football that would have had Sir Bobby Robson, the man so wonderfully commemorated around the stadium perimeter, beaming in that way he had. How Sir Bobby would have loved Liam Delap, who led that early assault, socks around his calves, bulldozing his way through the left side of Tottenham box and making life hell for Archie Gray. We were watching a future superstar.
Delap did so much – drawing the sharpest one-handed save from Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario, leaping to navigate Kalvin Phillips' free kick onto the top of the upright. Yet prize quality is no use if you defend as poorly Ipswich did.
Tottenham were ahead in the time it took Gray to unfurl a graceful, 40-yard lofted ball out of defence for Son. The South Korean was too sharp and quick-footed for full back Ben Godfrey and squared for Brennan Johnson to breeze ahead of Leif Davis and score. When Son stood up Godfrey again and weighed his options, eight minutes later, Johnson was standing unmarked in the area holding his hands up for fully ten seconds. Son traced the pass and Brennan struck. Godfrey didn't reappear after the break.
'Their big moments in our penalty box were better than our big moments in theirs,' McKenna said afterwards, ruing Spurs superior 'execution.' That assessment glossed over the defensive failings, though his angst was understandable, given the excellent balance he has in this team.
It was good to see some of the old Kalvin Phillips, at the hub of Ipswich's midfield, with some deft little touches and vision before he sent Jack Clarke out down the left to cross for Omari Hutchison to score in front of the Sir Alf Ramsay Stand, bringing back a goal back for Ipswich before half time which had the place rocking again.
Ipswich maintained the fight for an equaliser early in the second half but Maddison arrived just beyond the hour, dazzling in the box to set up Djed Spence for a deflected third. An arced strike from Dejan Kulusevski on the counter attack wrapped it up.
The scoreline flattered Spurs and McKenna said that he has not given up hope of survival. 'No doubt,' he said. 'We know we are going to have to pick up points at a greater rate. We can only do what we can do.'
The match against Wolves here in early April is assuming huge significance. Leaking goals then will carry graver significance.
MATCH FACTS
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1) Palmer 7; Godfrey 4.5 (Woolfenden 46 5), O'Shea 5, Greaves 6, Davis 6; Phillips 6.5 (Morsy 80 6), Cajuste 6 (Taylor 52 6); Philogene 6, Hutchinson 7, Clarke 6.5 (Broadhead 67 5.5); Delap 7.5 (Hirst 79 6).
Unused subs: Muric, Johnson, Townsend, Szmodics
Booked: Godfrey, Clarke
Manager: Kieran McKenna 7
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-3) Vicario 6.5; Spence 6.5, Danso 7, Gray 6, Udogie 5.5 (Pedro Porro 6.5); Bergvall 7 (Bissouma 85 6), Bentancur 6.5; Kulusevski 7; Johnson 7.5 (Madisson 64 7), Tel 6 (Scarlett 74 6), Son 8 (Odobert 74).
Unused subs: Kinsky, Reguilon, Sarr, Moore
Booked: Johnson
Scorers: Johnson 18, 26, Spence 77, Kulusevski 84
Manager: Ange Postecoglu 7.5
Referee: T Robinson 6