Tottenham Hotspur fell to a shock 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon.
Sammie Szmodics put the visitors ahead in the 31st minute. The ball dropped to him in the area and he hit an overhead kick, firing the ball past Guglielmo Vicario. Liam Delap then poked the ball home to double Ipswich’s lead.
Spurs seemed to have halved the lead in the 49th minute, only for Dominic Solanke’s goal to be chalked off for a handball by the video assistant referee. Rodrigo Bentancur pulled one back in the 69th minute, but Ipswich held out and collected the three points.
Here, The Athletic’s Jay Harris analyses the game and what it means for Spurs.
What does this defeat say about Tottenham?
Before kick-off, Tottenham supporters would have been forgiven for getting carried away thinking about where their team could be in the table after this weekend’s round of fixtures.
With Chelsea and Arsenal facing each other later, if Tottenham won they would have leapfrogged their London rivals and jumped into the top four. Spurs have been guilty of erratic performances this season but following up last weekend’s victory over Aston Villa by beating Ipswich would have been a strong sign they are becoming more consistent.
Instead, they head into the second international break in a row on the back of a defeat. They have lost five out of their 11 league matches. It will especially sting that Crystal Palace and Ipswich earned their first, and only, league victories this season over Spurs.
Things will not get any easier when the players return from international duty. Spurs’ next game is away at Manchester City before they face Fulham, Bournemouth and Chelsea. They had a great opportunity to build momentum on Sunday but failed to take it.
Slow starts are not sustainable
Tottenham’s bizarre habit of letting their opponents take the lead continued on Sunday afternoon. Since the start of last season, they have conceded the opening goal on 14 occasions at home — more than any other side apart from Manchester United (also 14). It makes you feel like this team only moves out of second gear when faced with jeopardy.
Most of the time, they find a way out of trouble. Tottenham’s squad is deeper and the players are much fitter than last season. Opponents struggle to match Spurs’ intensity for 90 minutes, which means gaps open up in the second half. The prime example came in last month’s 4-1 victory over West Ham United when they scored three times in 15 minutes after the break. Under Ange Postecoglou, they have recovered to win after conceding first on 10 occasions in the league, the most alongside Manchester City.
The problem is that constantly giving your opponents an early advantage does not feel sustainable. It means Spurs have to chase the game and commit more players forward. This risks leaving them exposed defensively, which is exactly what happened for Ipswich’s second goal. Pape Matar Sarr intercepted Arijanet Muric’s awful goal kick but when Ipswich recovered the ball lots of Tottenham’s attacking players were caught out of position. They ended up causing their own problems.
Is Son fully fit yet?
Son Heung-min has struggled with his fitness this season due to a persistent hamstring injury. He was perplexed when he was taken off after an hour during the 4-1 victory over Aston Villa last weekend but Postecoglou insisted that was always the plan as they carefully manage his workload. Son produced a fantastic assist for Brennan Johnson against Villa and showed flashes of his brilliance against Ipswich on Sunday but it is clear he needs more time to regain his sharpness.
Son looked electric in the opening 10 minutes. He whipped a cross into the box from which Johnson should have scored and then he weaved past multiple defenders before curling a shot that Arijanet Muric saved.
In the second half, as Spurs grew frustrated in their search for an equaliser, he was guilty of shooting from long distance on multiple occasions. Muric tipped the South Korea international’s first effort over the bar but the rest were not even close to being on target. The 32-year-old is still one of this team’s best players but it is important to remember as he grows older that it will take him a bit longer to return to his top level after injury and he cannot save Tottenham every week.
What next for Tottenham Hotspur?
Saturday, November 23: Manchester City (Away), Premier League, 5.30pm UK, 12.30pm ET
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(Top photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)