Omari Hutchinson pulled a goal back for the Blues after Brennan Johnson had netted twice for Tottenham Hotspur to leave the scoreline 2-1 to the visitors at Portman Road at half-time.
Town boss Kieran McKenna made four changes from the side which started last week’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa with Ben Godfrey, Leif Davis, Jaden Philogene and Jack Clarke returning to the team.
Godfrey took over from the suspended Axel Tuanzebe on the right of the defence with Davis returning at left-back having missed the game at Villa Park with a minor injury.
Philogene was handed his full home debut on the right with Omari Hutchinson in the middle and Jack Clarke on the left behind out-and-out striker Liam Delap.
Julio Enciso missed out having suffered a knee injury last week, while Conor Townsend and Ben Johnson dropped to the bench having started against the Villans.
Skipper Sam Morsy is fit again after the abdominal problem which kept him out at Villa Park but was also among the subs, as was Sammie Szmodics. Dara O’Shea captained in the Egypt international’s absence.
For Tottenham, Johnson, the son of former Blues striker David, returned to the XI for James Maddison, who was on the bench.
Destiny Udogie came in at left-back with Pedro Porro a sub. At centre-half, Archie Gray took over from Ben Davies, who was absent from the squad. Ex-Blues loanee Dane Scarlett was on the bench.
Town almost scored within seconds of the start. Jens Cajuste played through Liam Delap, who burst round the outside of Gray before hitting a shot which Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario saved to his left. The loose ball ran to Philogene, whose goal-bound shot struck Omari Hutchinson on the line. Town looked to get another opportunity but the linesman’s flag had been raised as Hutchinson had been offside.
Delap threatened again in the third minute, drifting past Gray on the left of the box as if the former Leeds youngster wasn’t there before stabbing across the face and wide.
Play moved to the other end, Udogie running beyond O’Shea on the Spurs left but Palmer was off his line quickly to claim at the Italian international’s feet.
Delap went even closer to scoring in the seventh minute, flicking a near post header from Phillips’s free-kick out on the right beyond Vicario but off the post. The loose ball didn’t immediately fall kindly but was nodded back to the edge of the area from where Philogene sent an overhead kick deep into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand.
Tottenham began to see most of the ball and went close to going in front in the 13th minute. Skipper Son Heung-Min got round the outside of Godfrey on the left and cut back to Lucas Bergvall, whose low shot was blocked by O’Shea. The ball ricocheted towards Johnson at the right post but Jacob Greaves somehow managed to take away from the former Forest man. Dejan Kulusevski nodded back in but O’Shea was fouled by Mathys Tel.
Moments later, Johnson got his name in referee Tim Robinson’s book for a foul on Davis as the Town full-back sought to break out of defence on the left.
However, in the 18th minute it was Johnson who would net the game’s opening goal. Gray’s long ball sent Son in behind on the left. The South Korean international worked some space to leave Godfrey standing and get to the byline before flashing a low ball across for Johnson, who got in front of Davis and slammed into the net.
The goal was harsh on the Blues, who had had the been the better side and had had most of the early chances, but with the visitors able to take their second serious opportunity, having found a weakness down Town’s right, a reminder of the clinical finishing at Premier League level.
The Blues looked to hit back, Clarke looping a header to Vicario in the 20th minute from a Hutchinson cross, then a minute later Delap hitting a shot from distance which deflected behind.
Following the flag-kick, Philogene shot not too far over, then on 24 Delap scuffed a low effort through to Vicario.
But two minutes later, Johnson doubled his side’s lead. Son was again played in behind Godfrey on the Town right, the visitors’ skipper cutting back to Johnson, who had been left completely unmarked 10 yards out on the far side of the box, from where he slotted home with ease.
On 26, Son was found on the left again but this time hit a low shot which deflected but with Palmer able to save. Four minutes later, Clarke was yellow-carded for standing on Djed Spence’s foot after the ball had gone.
It was a dispirited Portman Road as the half-hour mark passed with the Blues having played well before all but gifting Spurs their two goals.
However, the mood was significantly lifted in the 36th minute when Town pulled a goal back.
Phillips won the ball five yards outside the Tottenham box and threaded in Clarke on the left of the area. The winger, a one-time Spurs player, cut back to Hutchinson, who smashed a shot across Vicario and into the net, the former Chelsea man’s third goal of the season.
Three minutes later, the same two players combined again, Clarke finding Hutchinson on the edge of the area but this time his shot was too weak to test Vicario. Soon after, Godfrey was booked for a foul on Son.
Town’s impetus, both on and off the pitch, had been restored by the goal but in the 42nd minute Rodrigo Bentancur, Tottenham’s scorer in the Blues’ win in North London in November, brought the ball forward into the area unchallenged before his shot was saved by Palmer, Greaves subsequently nodding behind.
As the game moved into three minutes of injury time, Son was again found in space on the Spurs left but this time his shot was blocked by Godfrey.
That was the last action of an entertaining, end-to-end half. The Blues had started like a house on fire with Delap having three opportunities before Tottenham had settled into the match.
But as so often this season, the Blues were made to pay for not taking their chances with the visitors going into a two-goal lead having found easy pickings down Town’s right flank with Tuanzebe badly missed and Godfrey evidently not back to the top of his game after his half-season of inaction in Italy with Atalanta and Davis twice losing Johnson.
However, despite being two goals behind, the Blues stayed in the game and Phillips, Clarke and Hutchinson made the most of the opportunity to pull a goal back when it came and it seems likely there will be further goals in the second half with Town still in with a good chance of picking up points.
Town: Palmer, Godfrey, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Davis, Phillips, Cajuste, Philogene, Hutchinson, Clarke, Delap. Subs: Muric, Woolfenden, Johnson, Townsend, Morsy, Taylor, Szmodics, Broadhead, Hirst.
Spurs: Vicario, Spence, Danso, Gray, Udogie, Bentancur, Bergvall, Johnson, Kulusevski, Son (c), Tel. Subs: Kinsky, Porro, Reguilon, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Moore, Odobert, Scarlett.
Photo: Reuters
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TimmyH added 16:04 - Feb 22
Getting caught on the transition further up the field and seems like we're then playing 3 at the back...been the same all season whether it's Axel, Johnson or Godfrey in that RB position. Son just filled his boots
blueboy1981 added 16:40 - Feb 22
We never learn - every game is a repeat of the previous.
Fact is we are Pants, time for excuses to STOP !
We even make Spurs look great, and we all know they are not !!
Leejames99 added 17:14 - Feb 22
Ended up half a league 1 team again just daft, Woolf, Davis, Morsy, Taylor, Broadhead, Hirst it's crazy with Townsend,Szmodicks and Johnson on bench watching.
Why can't Delap manage 90 mins, Szmodicks must be getting fed up, if Phillips and Cajuste now injured and we have Morsy and Taylor in with Luongo as only other midfielder we are in big trouble
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