Sportstar

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou took responsibility for his side’s inconsistency this season after they fell to a shock 2-1 home loss to promoted Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday.

Having eliminated Manchester City in the League Cup before beating Aston Villa 4-1 in the Premier League last weekend, Spurs was stunned by Galatasaray 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday.

On Sunday, boos rang out from Spurs fans at the final whistle as Ipswich claimed their first Premier League victory since April 2002. The defeat left Spurs in 10th place with 16 points from 11 matches.

“The inconsistency we’re having this year, ultimately it comes down to me and my approach and something I need to try and fix and see if I can help the players in that area,” Postecoglou told reporters.

ALSO READ | Ipswich Town stuns Tottenham Hotspur to claim first win of season

The Australian did not think Spurs’ Thursday-Sunday run of fixtures was the reason for their struggles. “If we were seeing that we’d probably feel it more at the end of games and we’re not feeling it at the end of games,” he added.

Midfielder Pape Matar Sarr and striker Dominic Solanke both left Sunday’s game due to injury but Postecoglou thought both players had avoided serious problems.

“I think Pape is all right. He just got a bit of a knock,” he added. “Dom jarred his knee, it was pretty sore but he wanted to continue. Hopefully it is nothing serious.”

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna described his side’s shock 2-1 triumph at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as a landmark victory in the club’s history.

Goals by Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap earned promoted Ipswich their first Premier League win for 22 years and lifted them out of the relegation zone.

“I’m not going to shy away from it, it’s a really significant moment and a day to cherish in the recent history of the football club,” McKenna, who masterminded back-to-back promotions to lead the so-called Tractor Boys back to the top flight, told reporters.

“Look at the journey the club’s been on the last 22 years, the ups and downs, some of the depths, I think for the supporters to see their club win in the Premier League at a fantastic club like Tottenham, against a team like that, in a stadium like this, is a massive day for them.”

Ipswich has impressed this season with the style of football but was the only team in the Premier League not to have won a game heading into the game at Tottenham.

But they took a 2-0 lead and although Rodrigo Bentancur pulled one back for the hosts, they hung on.

“For those of us who have been on the journey for the last couple of years it’s a really significant day as well,” McKenna said. “From where the club has come from, competing in the first few Premier League games was a big step, but now of course, making that next step and winning a game, is a really, really significant landmark in the journey.

“As we’ve said many times, it’s a relatively new group coming together, trying to adjust to the demands of the Premier League and, for many, to a new club as well. So it’s a really significant step for them.”

Heading into the international break, Ipswich has eight points from 11 games and are in 17th position.

Musician Ed Sheeran, the club’s best-known fan and who played a role in the design of the pink kit the club wore on Sunday, shared the joy of the team as he popped into the dressing room after the final whistle.

“He congratulated the boys. It was nice to see him. We had his designed (pink third) kit on today, so maybe that brought us a little bit of luck!” McKenna, a former Tottenham youth team player and who began his coaching career there, said.

“We’ll have a few days off now and we’ll then have a nice long run in to another brilliant game after the break.”

Newly-promoted Ipswich Town stunned Tottenham Hotspur when it beat the London-based club in its own backyard, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

The Tractor Boys took the lead just past the half-hour mark with a superb overhead kick by striker Szmodics and doubled the lead in the 43rd minute through Delap, who pounced on a rebound after Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could only parry a low cross from Szmodics.

Tottenham dragged itseld back into the match with a header off Rodrigo Bentancur after 69 minutes but an equaliser eluded it until the full-time whistle.

It was the first Premier League win for Ipswich in 22 years, with the team losing all its 10 games before this, under manager Kieran McKenna, this season.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME IPSWICH TOWN WON IN PREMIER LEAGUE?

Ipswich Town’s previous win in the Premier League had comes in April 2002 when it beat Middlesbrough F.C. 1-0 at Portman Road Darren Bent scored the lone goal in that match, finding the net in the 58th minute off Mark Venus’ assist.

Moreover, Ipswich’s last away win was even before that, on February 2, 2002, in a 2-1 win comeback over Everton at the Goodison Park. Sixto Peralta had opened the scoring in that match for the visitors, finding the net in the 11th minute while David Usworth had restored parity from the spot, 17 minutes later.

Finally, Matt Holland strike late in the first half had proved to be the difference for Ipswich.

Ipswich Town secured its first Premier League victory of the season when it deservedly beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 away thanks to first-half goals by Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap on Sunday.

Promoted Ipswich took the lead just past the half-hour mark with a superb overhead kick by striker Szmodics to the delight of Blues fan and singer Ed Sheeran watching in the stands.

The visitors scored again in the 43rd minute through Delap who pounced on a rebound after Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario could only parry a low cross from Szmodics.

Tottenham dragged themselves back into the match with a powerful header by Rodrigo Bentancur after 69 minutes but they could not find an equaliser. The win moved Ipswich out of the relegation zone on eight points, while Spurs are 10th with 16.

Welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of the Premier League match between Tottenham and Ipswich Town, which is being played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

STARTING LINE-UPS:

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

IPSWICH TOWN

MATCH PREVIEW

Tottenham Hotspur will fancy its chances against 18th-placed Ipswich which is yet to win a match when the two meet in their Premier League clash in London on Sunday.

Spurs, seventh in the league with 16 points from 10 matches, has struggled to put together a winning streak in the league, with two wins and two defeats in its last four matches.

The North London club trails league-leader Liverpool by 12 points, but Postecoglou said it was futile to focus on the standings this early in the season.

“We still have a hell of a long way to go. What’s important for us is to keep progressing in the way we have been. Our football for the large part has been pretty consistent, pretty good,” the Australian said.

“We’ve had a couple of stumbles along the way but within that context, I still think we’re making progress. There’s no point looking at the table now because ultimately it’s where you are at the end of the season that’s going to count.”

Though Spurs look the clear winner on paper, Postecoglou urged caution, adding: “Every league game has the potential to hurt you if you’re not at your best.

“Ipswich will be no different. They were close last week (to winning) and they’ve been close in a number of games. Kieran McKenna has done an unbelievable job since he’s been there and they continue to grow.”

Tottenham faces sanctions from the English Football Association over homophobic chants by Spurs fans at a Premier League match earlier this season.

The chanting took place during Tottenham’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 29.

The FA charged Spurs with rules breaches because teams are required to ensure that their fans don’t use offensive chants or behave in an “improper, offensive, abusive, indecent, or insulting way with either an express or implied reference to sexual orientation.”

ALSO READ: Poor first half cost Spurs at Galatasaray, says Spurs boss Postecoglou

Tottenham has until next Wednesday to respond to the governing body.

The London club had condemned the “abhorrent homophobic chanting” that took place and had vowed to work with police to take the “strongest possible action” against offenders.

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou is solely focused on the task at hand and not getting distracted by the Premier League table at this stage of the season, he said after his side came back from behind to crush Aston Villa 4-1 on Sunday.

Two second-half goals from new signing Dominic Solanke and a sublime James Maddison free-kick helped the home side make a comeback and overwhelm sixth-placed Villa, which was on a seven-match unbeaten run in the league.

Spurs climbed to seventh in the league on 16 points, two fewer than Villa.

“Yeah potentially, I don’t spend too much time thinking about it,” Postecoglou told reporters when asked if there is a more open field for Champions League qualification spots this campaign.

“But it looks like there’s a lot more congestion in terms of the field itself. Some of that I think is just the attrition rate of players at the moment, which is making it hard for teams to get into smooth water, so to speak.

“The table is only important for me at the end of the year. While we’re running in the race, I don’t like looking either side of me.

ALSO READ | South Korea coach vows to ‘protect’ Son Heung-min after national call-up after injury return

“I keep saying to the players: if I was a race-horse, and I’m not, it would be one with blinkers. I’m just looking at the finish line.”

Spurs’ struggles to defend set-pieces continued when Villa’s Morgan Rogers poked home from a yard out after Lucas Digne’s corner was flicked on into the six-yard box.

“Yeah, look, we conceded from a set-piece. I know I’m on my own on this, I don’t like them. To me... it looks like a (rugby) scrum. I just don’t think that’s what football’s about,” he said.

“But it’s part of football these days, where you can just drop the ball in the box and people can fight over it. So disappointing for us to concede from that, but in general I thought we handled their set pieces really well.

“It was great for us to score another one again from an attacking set piece, we’re scoring goals from different areas, that’s important.”

Dominic Solanke scored twice as Tottenham thrashed Aston Villa 4-1 in the Premier League on Sunday.

The forward struck two goals in the space of four second-half minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Villa had led at the break.

Solanke scored in the 75th and 79th as Spurs produced a stunning second-half performance to follow up its victory against Manchester City in the League Cup on Wednesday.

Morgan Rogers had given Champions League-chasing Villa the lead in the 32nd minute, but Brennan Johnson leveled the game four minutes after the break.

Solanke’s double put Spurs 3-1 ahead and James Maddison curled a free kick into the top corner in the sixth minute of added time.

Tottenham is up to seventh in the standings, while fifth-place Villa missed out on the chance to move into the top three.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min is regaining fitness but will miss Wednesday’s League Cup home game against Manchester City alongside injured Wilson Odobert, manager Ange Postecoglou said on Tuesday.

Son, who felt sore in his hamstring after scoring in a 4-1 win over West Ham United this month, was left out of last week’s Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar and then missed a 1-0 Premier League loss at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Odobert, who was out of action for more than a month due to a hamstring injury, returned as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Alkmaar, but Postecoglou said the winger suffered a serious setback in the “same area”.

“Son is almost fit, but probably from our perspective, we’ll aim for the weekend. We’re quite confident he’ll be right for the weekend,” Postecoglou told reporters.

ALSO READ: Sacked Man United coach Ten Hag thought another trophy would make season a success

“The only other one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson, who has had a setback during the week, and it seems like it is a serious one, so we’re just waiting for more information.

“From the weekend, everybody is okay, and Djed (Spence) is back training.”

Spurs, which had a run of five wins in a row before its loss at Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month, couldn’t score against Palace, but Postecoglou believed persisting with the principles and maintaining consistency can bring them back to winning ways.

“The players and everyone was disappointed with the way things went for us at Palace, both performance and outcome, but we’ve got to get away from these reactions and try to atone for something,” Postecoglou said.

“Part of the process for us is to make sure in every game we stick to our principles irrespective of what has happened in the past.”

With Manchester United sacking Erik Ten Hag, Postecoglou said, “There is no job security,” and he is working hard to bring success to Spurs while he is there.

“I understand I won’t be here forever, but I work as if I will be and make decisions that will get us to be a successful club.

“If you deviate from that, then the inevitability is the end will probably come sooner than you want,” he added.

Crystal Palace beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday thanks to a Jean-Philippe Mateta goal to finally claim its first win of the season and climb out of the relegation zone.

Palace scored at the half-hour mark when Daniel Munoz pinched the ball from Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven and put a cross into the box which was expertly flicked by Eberechi Eze to an unmarked Mateta who fired home.

ALSO READ | Premier League 2024-25: Bowen’s late penalty hands West Ham win over Manchester United

The home side played with far more intensity than Tottenham, who looked a bit fatigued after its Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar three days ago, while the absence of forward Son Heung-min blunted its attack.

Palace could have scored more if not for Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario who made several saves, but it was Oliver Glasner’s side that sealed the three points to move up to 17th while Spurs remain in eighth place.