Ange Postecoglou ripped into his players and accused Ipswich of taking ‘strategic time-outs’ during their impressive win over Tottenham. The Blues secured their first Premier League victory of the campaign thanks to goals from Sam Szmodics and Liam Delap.
Szmodics fired Ipswich ahead with a brilliant overhead kick as Tottenham lost their bearings while trying to defend Jens Cajuste’s ball into the box. Delap doubled their advantage before the break, poking home from close range after yet another defensive mix-up.
Tottenham got one back through Rodrigo Bentancur in the second half but could not find a leveller, with Ipswich hanging on to claim all three points. Speaking after the final whistle, a furious Postecoglou gave a damning assessment of his side’s lacklustre display.
He said: « Hugely disappointing. We started slow and passively. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb. Second half we had chances but didn’t do enough to win the game. It’s just down to me. I’m not getting consistent performances from the players.
« It’s something I need to address. I’m the person in charge so that’s usually the way it goes. I take responsibility. We can’t give ourselves those kind of mountains to climb. »
Postecoglou also suggested that Ipswich players were going down with apparent injuries in a bid to slow Tottenham down and take the sting out of the game.
« It seems to be the way the Premier League is going, » he said. « Clubs are taking strategic time-outs. We just have to cop it. It’s up to the officials, not me. »
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna was understandably delighted with the performance of his players, with the Blues claiming their first Premier League victory since 2002 despite being the clear underdogs.
« The journey to get to here has been a big one, » he said. « It feels a bit special today. We believe we’ve been improving. We’ve picked up five out of 10 results but we were waiting for the first win to validate the work and improvements.
« It’s a massive moment, one to cherish. The first half it was everything [you would want] for a team in our context against Tottenham. A good balance. Moments where we played a a good tempo and moments where we slowed it down.
« A top half away from home. In the second half we showed good resilience. We didn’t give away too many chances. We defended well and were a threat on the break. A top performance. »
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