East Anglian Daily Times

The 33-year-old, who made 369 appearances in an 11-year-stint at Arsenal and has 86 Wales caps to his name, returned to his boyhood club in the summer of 2023, just weeks before the Bluebirds travelled to Portman Road in the Championship.

He scored the opener in that game before Joe Ralls added a second, but it was Town who took the points as Nathan Broadhead's strike preceded a brace from Freddie Ladapo, who secured a 3-2 win for the hosts.

Ramsey was impressed by what he saw from Ipswich in the Championship, particularly their hybrid formation that switches between a 4-2-3-1 and a back five, which he believes could be crucial for them to continue playing well and picking up results in the Premier League.

"They were a breath of fresh air, really," he said on Planet Premier League. Everyone was saying that the wheels were going to fall off, but they were just relentless.

"Last year we saw a lot of them in their back five and their wing-backs were so important to them.

"There's no coincidence that when they went to a back five against Tottenham, that might've felt a bit more natural or comfortable for them.

"Now they're just starting to find their feet and they're putting in some good performances now.

"I'm sure that will continue and they'll pick up results now, which will go a long way as the season goes on."

The 29-year-old gave his side a surprise lead in North London, connecting with an overhead kick to make it 1-0 in the first half.

The Blues went on to secure a 2-1 win - their first of the season - to lift themselves out of the relegation zone.

Szmodics has impressed so far, bagging three goals from just seven starts so far this season. The first two both came in defeats to Manchester City and Brentford, but he made sure that this one counted for something. His clinical nature has seen him catch Shearer's eye as a result.

“For any forward coming into the Premier League for the first time, it's always going to be difficult, but even more so when it is for a newly promoted side because you know you won’t get many chances, and when you do, you must take them," he said via Betfair.

“You become judged on that clinical nature and Sammie Szmodics has done well.

“He got another goal against Spurs which helped Ipswich to that huge first win of the season, and it was a great, tidy finish from him.

“He did incredibly well to finish as the Championship’s top scorer last season, and we know it's a huge step up to the Premier League, but I've been impressed with what I've seen.”

Town headed to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium yesterday as the only winless side in the top tier, with a growing national narrative that they were no-hopers and destined for the drop.

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But they left with a deserved 2-1 win under their belts, having climbed out of the relegation zone ahead of the November international break.

Szmodics, who bagged Town's opener with a spectacular overhead kick, said afterwards that the squad simply shut out the criticism ahead of the game and focused on the task in hand.

“I think we’ve just had to ignore it,” he stressed. “We’ve seen all sorts on social media, on Twitter.

"People who’ve never kicked a ball in their life want to talk to us about winning games and scoring goals. They’ve never played at this level, it’s a completely different level to the Championship.

“We’ve blocked that noise out, we’ve focused on us as a whole squad – managers, staff fans. I think we just thoroughly deserved it as a whole today.

“The journey they’ve been on is amazing. To be brought in and to be part of this is even better for myself."

With the first win in the books, the Blues can start looking up the table - and ahead to a mouth-watering clash with Manchester United in Suffolk when they return after the break (Sunday, November 24th, 4.30pm).

And Szmodics insisted that Town will be a force to be reckoned with in the top tier.

“We’re not here to make up the numbers" he said. "We’re here now. The relief has gone and we’ve got our first win.

“Hopefully we can build on that and add many more.”

The 21-year-old helped set up the first goal, winning a duel against Cristian Romero to flick Jens Cajuste's cross towards Sammie Szmodics, who opened the scoring with an overhead kick.

He then got on the scoresheet by capping off an impressive team move, rifling the ball into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 before the half-time interval.

Delap battled hard throughout his 70 minutes on the pitch, catching Shearer's eye as a result.

"Got a goal and an assist and also held the ball up brilliantly to relieve pressure, often against two centre-backs," he wrote. "A complete centre-forward's performance."

Shearer also named Town boss Kieran McKenna as his Manager of the Week, saying: "What a way to get your first win of the season! His side showed real quality to go two goals up, and then great determination at 2-1 to deny Spurs an equaliser."

After all the frustrations, and injustice, we finally got over the line. It was incredibly nervy in the second half in the face of the inevitable Spurs onslaught, but there was no late heartbreak this time.

Cue richly deserved celebrations among the players and the travelling fans. It was a sense of relief as much as anything - and hopefully we can use this as a springboard.

Our first win of the season, yes - but actually our first victory in the Premier League since Middlesbrough in April 2002. A whole generation ago.

It means we can enjoy the break knowing we’re outside the relegation zone - and we’ve avoided being labelled the only team in all four divisions without a win all season.

For the players, it will provide a much-needed confidence boost. They will believe they belong at this level now. We were in danger of looking like an irrelevance.

It really was the most unlikely of wins. Remember, only last weekend Spurs had scored four times in the second half against Aston Villa.

If I’m honest, I was preparing myself for a miserable fortnight, still with no win, inside the bottom three, and with the prospect of Man U coming to Portman Road with a new manager bounce.

But I’m absolutely delighted to be proved wrong. We put together a tremendous first half performance, went two up, and then clung on when Spurs threw the kitchen sink at us in the second half.

We had heroes all over the pitch, starting with much maligned keeper Aro Muric, who made a string of impressive saves. The back four was led brilliantly by Dara O’Shea and Cameron Burgess, who put their bodies on the line time and again.

In midfield, I’m always impressed by Jens Cajuste. For me, the Swede is a better option alongside Sam Morsy than Kalvin Phillips.

In a game when we’re playing on the break, Omari Hutchinson is worth his weight in gold. He’s quick, strong and tricky and is so good at carrying the ball upfield. Look at the part he played in Liam Delap’s goal.

Then there are the two goal scorers, Delap and Sammie Szmodics. If we’re honest, neither of them was seen as a huge, exciting signing when they arrived. But what an impact they’ve made.

Delap now has six Premier League goals, and is terrorising top-flight defences every single game. If he keeps working hard, I really believe he is an England centre-forward of the future. We might be watching Harry Kane’s successor.

Being brutally honest, I couldn’t see Sammie Szmodics being good enough for the top flight. But, thankfully it looks like I was wrong. He works his socks off, and certainly knows where the goal is. He looks like the kind of character who is utterly determined to be as good as he possibly can be.

The person I was most delighted for after the Tottenham game was Kieran McKenna. He has watched his team compete well in most matches, but then drop points through errors, or poor refereeing decisions.

For that elusive win to finally come at Spurs must have been extra special for him. It was the club where he dreamed of being a player, suffered the heartbreak of a career-ending injury, and it was Tottenham who gave him the chance to begin coaching. He clearly still has a lot of affection for the place. Well done, Kieran.

Did you notice something else about Sunday’s game? There were two VAR referrals, and both of them went our way. Miracles do happen! Maybe Lady Luck has decided to smile on us at last.

A well deserved rest for everyone now, before we welcome Man U and their new manager. Another of McKenna’s former clubs, of course. That will be quite some occasion. Can we upset the odds again? I wouldn’t bet against it.

ATTACKING THREAT

Tottenham were strong favourites for a reason. Theirs is a squad that cost in excess of £500m to assemble. They went into game week 11 as the Premier League's leading scorers. They'd won seven of their eight home games across all competitions. Only Man City and Arsenal had got victories at their impressive 62,000 capacity home this calendar year.

Town boss Kieran McKenna insisted in his pre-match press conference that he believed that his side could get a result, but that they would need absolutely everything to go to plan. Well, that's exactly what happened.

Let's start with the offensive part of a near perfect away performance.

Spurs don't have the best record at defending set-pieces. Town put some early pressure on from those, with Cameron Burgess heading against the face of the crossbar at one corner.

Spurs play with a high line and can be vulnerable at turnovers. Town pressed high and hard at appropriate moments and attacked with numbers on the counter.

There was some composed building from the back too. The 31st minute opener came following a spell of possession. The impressive Jens Cajuste teased the cross in from the right, Liam Delap attacked the ball with gusto, the ball span up in the air and Sammie Szmodics produced a fine overhead kick finish. A man who has climbed every rung of the Football League has now scored goals at both the Etihad and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The second goal, in the 43rd minute, actually originated from some slack play at the back. The situation was rectified though, an attack was executed with real intent and, following good work by Ben Johnson, Omari Hutchinson, Leif Davis and Szmodics, keeper Guglielmo Vicario pushed the low cross into defender Radu Dragusin, with Delap there to get the final touch on the line. There was no way he was letting that one go down as an own goal.

Delap was a one-man wrecking ball once again. He repeatedly crashed into opponents, Romero in particular, and constantly ruffled feathers with a look of devilment. That's five goals from his first 11 top-flight appearances now. Even the likes of Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Alan Shearer and Michael Owen didn't manage that.

STANDING STRONG

Tottenham have had eight comeback wins at home in 2024. They'd averaged three goals a game in front of their fans this season. Never has '2-0 is a dangerous scoreline' felt so true.

Town had defended with organisation and bravery in the first half. That had to go up a notch after the break as the hosts inevitably increased their intensity.

Defender Axel Tuanzebe, playing with his badly injured hand in a solid cast, had replaced forward Conor Chaplin in the team. It meant the Blues could play with a solid 5-4-1 when required and quickly transition into a 3-4-3.

O'Shea didn't look a man playing with a back issue. He charged down shots, won duels, foot races and made vital interceptions. It was an outstanding display from the Irish centre-back.

Burgess was no-nonsense. Hutchinson's crunching tackle on Pedro Porro early on sticks in the memory. Johnson made a perfectly-timed hooked slide tackle to prevent Destiny Udogie bursting into the box.

Aro Muric pushed a Dominic Solanke shot round the post in the first half, tipped over a curling Son Heung-min and Timo Werner efforts in the second half and, in the fifth minute of stoppage-time, made a big save with his leg to deny Solanke. On top of that, the big Kosovan confidently claimed several crosses to prevent pressure building.

Tottenham may have been a little leggy after a Thursday night trip to Galatasaray, but take nothing way from the way Ipswich forced them to play with desperation and frustration.

FORTUNE AND VAR

This was a Town display that deserved some good fortune.

It could have been a different story had Brennan Johnson not stabbed the wrong side of the post in the second minute. The Blues were fortunate that substitute Timo Werner, a player looking desperately short of confidence in front of goal this season, lifted a shot well over the bar in the 84th minute too.

Ipswich were also on the right side of not one, but two VAR calls.

In the 50th minute, after a corner was glanced on, Solanke's shot found the net. Town players instantly appealed en masse. VAR quickly informed Darren England the striker's shot had hit his own hand. A clear and obvious error. The goal was correctly chalked off.

Ten minutes later, Porro's cross hit a leaping Davis, from relatively close quarters, as it entered the box. A corner was given. Spurs players appealed and VAR took a look. Had the ball hit Davis' chest or flailing arm? The replays were inconclusive. Had he been inside or outside the box? Again, it was hard to tell. No clear and obvious error, so the original call was stuck with. That's how the technology is meant to be used.

Maybe that Mark Ashton meeting with Howard Webb did do some good.

GAME MANAGEMENT

When Rodrigo Bentancur thumped header at a corner high into the net there was still plenty of time to go.

Spurs were effectively playing with a front four by now. The home fans, accustomed to their team finishing strong, turned up the volume.

There was no way that Town could just sit deep and defend for their lives for more than 20 minutes.

After riding out a bit of a mini storm, the players showed superb game management to run down the clock.

Hutchinson was at the heart of that. Time and time again he received the ball on the half turn in pockets of space and drew clever fouls to earn the defence a breather. When Johnson won a throw-in high up the field, Hutchinson wheeled his arms to whip up the Town support. The 21-year-old is tenacious off the ball, skilful on it and is playing with increasing maturing.

Unlike against Brentford and Leicester there was to be no stoppage-time heartbreak this time.

Hutchinson slumped to the turf in pure exhaustion at the final whistle. Sub George Hirst, who'd battled on after tweaking his knee, had to be bandaged up during the celebrations after being hit by a vicious Dragusin elbow.

Ipswich had out-fought and out-thought a very good team.

THE WAIT IS OVER!

Finally, after a 22-year wait, Ipswich Town have won a Premier League game again.

You can't really understate how big a result this is. Without it, all the talk would have been about how the Blues were the only team left in the 92 without a league victory to their name.

Instead, everyone - players and fans alike - goes into the third international break with boosted belief.

Ipswich have been competitive in virtually every game since stepping up. The first 10 performances deserved more points than were on the board. The longer that winless run went on though, the more it was beginning to feel like things were not meant to be and the season could slip away.

But now a very good team has been beaten on the road, the injury list is shortening, Town are out of the drop zone and three of the next four are at Portman Road, starting with a mouth-watering match against Manchester United.

All of a sudden, anything feels possible again.

Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap scored before the break, with the Blues then superbly seeing out victory after Rodrigo Bentancur pulled a goal back for the home side in the 69th minute.

Speaking to Spurs TV after the game, the Australian branded the display as 'unacceptable.'

He fumed: "It’s hugely disappointing and I guess from my perspective unacceptable because we started the game nowhere near the levels we needed to be and gave ourselves a mountain to climb.

“Second half we had the ascendancy and enough opportunities to get the job done, but we didn’t do enough with it.”

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Asked about the first half, he replied: “We were just way too passive, with and without the ball.

"We allowed them to feel comfortable, which is what we don’t want to do, when we’re at home especially, but irrespectively.

“And we paid the price for that.”

The Blues proved adept at slowing the game down and seeing out the win, something which Postecoglou accepted as part of the game.

“It’s part of the Premier League now," he admitted. "Clubs are strategically doing it.

“You can almost set your clock that at 20 minutes someone will go down and they’ll go over and get instructions from the coach.

“If we want to overcome that, we’ve got to make sure that we don’t give opportunities for the opposition to get ahead in games and try and kill it, we can control that.

“But it’s up to the officials to sort of work that out.”

This defeat came after his side arrived back in the UK at 2am on Friday morning having lost 3-2 at Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday.

Asked if that trip to Turkey and late return was a factor, Postecoglou insisted: “No, it’s not that.

"And if it is, it’s even worse for me so… look, it’s my responsibility and I’ve got to fix it.

“We’ve been inconsistent this year, fair to say, and we shouldn’t be that inconsistent.

"And when you are that inconsistent, the responsibility lies with me to try and overcome that.”

The Blues went ahead in the 31st minute as the 29-year-old connected with an overhead kick, with striker Liam Delap doubling the lead with a powerful finish from point-blank range.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s header meant that Town had to see out a one-goal lead in the final 20 minutes, with eight added on for stoppage time, but they did so incredibly well to earn three points in the top flight for the first time in 22 years.

“It felt amazing,” Szmodics said after the match. “I think we thoroughly deserved it. Performances recently have been really good.

“This is a tough place to come and we deserved to get the three points.”

Asked whether there were any nerves after conceding late on against Brentford and Leicester City, Szmodics admitted: “Yeah, of course. We’ve been on the end of goals late on. I think we defended well from minute one to minute 98 amazingly. That’s what gave us the platform to go and score goal. We know we can go and score goals at this level.

“It’s a tough place to come, but a big relief really. We’ve played well and it’s a big relief to get that first win.”

Although they adopted a back five for much of the game, Ipswich attacked Tottenham and made life hard for them throughout the match.

Szmodics claimed that this was they approach that they’d prepared all week, which they were able to execute to perfection in North London.

“The manager said that we’re not going to come here and sit back, we’re going to press them when we can,” he revealed. “We’ve got the mobility and the energy to do that.

“In the first half, we played really well, so we deserved to be 2-0 up and it could’ve been more.

“They’re a tough team to play against, you know we’re always going to score goals. I thought we saw the game out amazingly and thoroughly deserved the win.”

Szmodics’ goal was what got the Blues up and running, but it was no ordinary finish. His acrobatics caught everyone off guard, including himself.

“I can’t even remember the build-up,” he chuckled. “It was behind me. It’s like something you practice in your garden. I found a bit more space than I thought I had, so you attempt one of those things and then I heard the roar.

“It’s an amazing feeling. It’s probably one of the best goals I’ve scored, in one of the best stadiums I’ve ever played in.

“I’ve never scored an overhead kick, so I’ll take that.”

These last few weeks haven’t been easy. Ipswich have been criticised for their results, even if the performances have been strong, which has created a lot of external noise.

Szmodics believes he’s done well to shut it out, however, and is now optimistic that Town can kick on.

“I think we’ve just had to ignore it,” he argued. “We’ve seen all sorts on social media, on Twitter. People who’ve never kicked a ball in their life want to talk to us about winning games and scoring goals. They’ve never played at this level, it’s a completely different level to the Championship.

“We’ve blocked that noise out, we’ve focused on us as a whole squad – managers, staff fans. I think we just thoroughly deserved it as a whole today.

“The journey they’ve been on is amazing. To be brought in and to be part of this is even better for myself.

“We’re not here to make up the numbers. We’re here now. The relief has gone and we’ve got our first win.

“Hopefully we can build on that and add many more.”

As he walked off, he was asked one final question – whether this win meant more as a West Ham fan.

“Yeah, of course,” he laughed. “That’s for all the West Ham fans.”

Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap scored before the break, with the Blues then superbly seeing out victory after Rodrigo Bentancur pulled a goal back in the 69th minute.

Town's first Premier League win in more than 22 years lifts them out of the relegation zone going into the third international break of the campaign.

"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," said McKenna.

"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.

"For those of us who have been on the journey for the last couple of years it's a really significant day as well. 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.

"We feel there has been some good work going on since pre-season, there have been improvements over the course of the games, have been competitive in lots of the games,, but until you take tat last step and win a game then that's always going to be held over you a little bit. So to do that today, in the manner we did, is a really big day for us."

On Suffolk pop superstar Ed Sheeran coming into the dressing room afterwards, the Blues boss said: "He popped in and 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, who was a youth team player at Spurs and started his coaching journey with them, continued: "I came to this club as a 14 year old, leaving home in Ireland, and I never went back. It's nice to do it here, a club I've got great affinity for, no doubt about that. My father was in the crowd. Lots of people will be very, very proud.

"And it's nice to do it against a really good team. Tottenham are fantastic team playing really, really well at home, there's an amazing atmosphere in the stadium, so that makes it even more special."

On the game itself, he said: "We know for a team in our context, the journey we've been on, coming away from home to a team of this strength, that there were certain elements of the game that would have to be spot on.

"We've built such a brave identity of play that we want to stay true to, but we also know it's a huge step up and we need to be clever in terms of how we're going to compete for points. I thought today our balance of that was really, really good.

"I thought we showed our identity in some moments where we pressed high in the first half, we were aggressive, played with intensity and made it hard for Tottenham to build. There were times we played brave and built out from the back, we scored a goal where we controlled a lot of possession and another terrific goal on the counter attack.

"We managed the game well, we controlled the set plays well. Our organisation and discipline out of possession was terrific and the subs had a good impact. Aro (Muric) made a couple of saves and we were pretty clinical with most of our chances.

"I think we managed the second half well. You know that 2-0 is a really tough scoreline and that they are terrific in the second half of games, especially shooting against that end. You know there's going to be some big momentum, but I thought we managed that pretty well. They've scored a good set play where they worked the block and got the spare man in, but I thought we defended well and always had a threat to get up the pitch. Liam (Delap) kept the centre-halves occupied, Omari (Hutchinson) carried the ball up the pitch, so it never felt like we were completely pinned into our box. It didn't feel like we were getting carved open and they were getting big, big chances.

"They put lots of forwards on the pitch and pushed the game well, but I thought we deserved to get it over the line."

After a two-week international break, Town return to action with a home game against Manchester United. Three of the next four games are at Portman Road.

"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," said McKenna.

"The atmosphere in Portman Road this season has been electric, so I don't know if that can go up too much.

"People can now probably let their shoulders back a little bit in terms of enjoying the season, probably more so the supporters, rather than worrying when the first win would come. For us the process doesn't change."

Arijanet Muric

A few loose passes, which he does need to cut out, but otherwise excellent. Commanded his area incredibly well and made five vital saves, with a particularly impressive one to deny Dominic Solanke late on. 8

Axel Tuanzebe

Couple of nervy moments, which was expected given how long he'd been out of the team, but largely really good. Shielded the ball well when he had it and more than held his own against Son-hueng Min. 8

Dara O'Shea

Came close with a header early on, but put in a massive defensive shift. Flying tackles, towering headers, the lot. His best performance in an Ipswich shirt. 8

Cameron Burgess

Hit the woodwork early on. Excellent in the air throughout. When Spurs played the ball on the floor, there were a few moments that caught him out, but he did well to limit them overall. 8

Ben Johnson

A little bit too strong into some tackles for my liking, but he put in a huge shift. Ran his socks off and tried everything to drag the ball up the pitch and away from danger. Doubled up well with Tuanzebe. 8

Sam Morsy

The best Sam Morsy performances are the ones where you don’t notice him. He ran the show really well and got stuck in with some big tackles. 8

Jens Cajuste

Just so, so smooth on the ball. Controlled everything in midfield, both in and out of possession. Lost a bit of that after he scored, but he did pick up a knock, so that was understandable. Making a big case to be a regular starter. 8

Leif Davis

Set pieces were threatening. The wing-back system allowed him to make lots of forward runs. Game management was really good and he limited Brennan Johnson to little. 8

Omari Hutchinson

Probably his best performance in the Premier League. Yes, it was his dribbling, his movement and his creativity, but also his strength and determination. Held up the ball remarkable well and battled for everything. 9

Sammie Szmodics

Should’ve scored after two minutes, but got his goal through a moment of genius. Did he make the kind of contact he would’ve dreamt about? Maybe not, but it was such a clever finish. His positioning off the left caused Spurs a lot of problems. 8

Liam Delap

A wrecking ball up top. Worked relentlessly hard. His challenging header set up the opener and he fired home for the second goal. Had a great battle against Cristian Romero, which you’d have to say he won. 8

Sub: George Hirst (70’)

The perfect sub for a game like this. Held up the ball well and linked up nicely with the forward line, as he always does. Took a nasty whack shortly after coming on and then was wiped out Radu Dragusin, who deserves a retrospective ban for the challenge. 7

Sub: Jack Clarke (70’)

A couple of frustrating moments on the ball, but did well to run the clock down. Not an easy game for him to come into. 7

Sub: Massimo Luongo (90’)