It was one of those afternoons where the script just didn't matter. Football has a funny way of doing that, especially in the Premier League. When the first Ipswich Town vs Tottenham fixture of the 2024-2025 season rolled around in November, most pundits were already chalking up three points for Ange Postecoglou’s side. Spurs were at home. They had momentum. Ipswich? Well, the Tractor Boys were still looking for their first win of the campaign.
Then the whistle blew.
By the time Sammie Szmodics pulled off a gravity-defying overhead kick in the 31st minute, the vibe in North London had shifted from "when will we score?" to "uh oh." It wasn't just a fluke. Kieran McKenna, returning to the club where he’d cut his teeth as a coach, had essentially set a trap. He knew Spurs would commit bodies forward. He knew their high line was vulnerable.
The November Shock at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Honestly, the first half was a masterclass in clinical counter-attacking. Liam Delap, who has been a handful for every defender he’s faced this season, made it 2-0 before the break. You could practically hear the collective intake of breath from the home fans. It was silent.
Tottenham, predictably, threw the kitchen sink at them in the second half. Rodrigo Bentancur powered home a header in the 69th minute to make it 2-1, and for a second, it felt like another one of those classic Spurs comebacks was brewing. They’d done it against West Ham. They’d done it against Villa.
But Ipswich held firm.
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Arijanet Muric was a literal wall in those closing minutes. When the final whistle went after nine minutes of stoppage time, it marked Ipswich Town’s first Premier League win in over 22 years. The away end was absolute limbs. For Spurs, it was a familiar story of inconsistency—dominating 67% of possession but failing to actually do anything meaningful with it.
The Portman Road Revenge: A Different Story
Fast forward to February 2025. The return leg at Portman Road was a completely different animal. Context is everything in football, and by this point, Tottenham had found a bit more steel. They weren't just playing "Ange-ball" with reckless abandon; they were actually finishing their dinner.
Brennan Johnson, a player who often finds himself at the center of social media debates, silenced the crowd early. Twice.
He bagged a brace inside the first 26 minutes, both times assisted by Heung-Min Son. Son was, quite frankly, unplayable that day. He was drifting into spaces that didn't seem to exist, dragging Dara O’Shea and Jacob Greaves all over the shop.
- 18th Minute: Son crosses, Johnson taps in. Simple.
- 26th Minute: Almost a carbon copy. 2-0 Spurs.
Ipswich didn't roll over, though. They never do under McKenna. Omari Hutchinson, arguably their player of the season, pulled one back before halftime with a screaming left-footed finish. Portman Road was rocking. If you've ever been there when the fans are up, you know it’s a bear pit.
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Why the Midfield Battle Decided Everything
In the February matchup, the introduction of Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray in the starting lineup changed the dynamic for Spurs. In the previous Ipswich Town vs Tottenham meeting, the midfield felt slow. This time, it was frenetic.
- Energy Levels: Spurs covered 111.99km compared to Ipswich’s 109.82km. It doesn't sound like much, but in the Premier League, those extra two kilometers are usually the difference between closing a gap and letting a winger turn.
- Defensive Stability: Kevin Danso, who came in as a mid-season reinforcement, looked like a rock. He handled Liam Delap much better than Dragusin had in November.
- Clinical Finishing: Spurs only had 6 shots on target but scored 4 goals. That's a 66% conversion rate. You can't defend against that.
Djed Spence added a third in the 77th minute after some clever work from James Maddison. Then Dejan Kulusevski put the icing on the cake with a trademark curler into the far post. 4-1. It was a professional, cold-blooded demolition that showed exactly how far Tottenham had come in terms of game management.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Games
People love to talk about the "gap" in quality between a newly promoted side and a "Big Six" stalwart. But if you actually watched these two games, the gap was tactical, not just financial.
In the first game, McKenna out-thought Postecoglou. He played a 5-4-1 that transitioned into a 3-4-3 the second Ipswich won the ball. It completely bypassed the Spurs press. In the second game, Ange adjusted. He used his full-backs—Spence and Porro—more conservatively, preventing the long-ball counters that had killed them in London.
It’s also worth noting the impact of Kalvin Phillips. He missed the November win due to suspension but started the February loss. Ironically, Ipswich looked more organized without him in the first game. Football is weird like that.
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Tactical Takeaways for the Future
If you’re looking for actionable insights into how these teams will progress, keep an eye on how they handle the "second ball." Ipswich lives and dies by their intensity in the first 15 minutes. In February, they almost scored twice in the opening 60 seconds through Delap and Philogene. If Vicario hadn't made two world-class reflex saves, we might have seen a repeat of the November upset.
For Tottenham fans: The key is the Son-Johnson connection. When Son stays wide and stretches the back five, it creates a "corridor of uncertainty" for the opposite winger to exploit.
For Ipswich fans: The defensive structure is the priority. Conceding 14 goals across four home games in early 2025 is a recipe for relegation. They need to find that November grit again.
Keep an eye on the injury reports for the next meeting. Players like Mathys Tel and Lucas Bergvall are becoming increasingly central to how Spurs want to play. For Ipswich, keeping Leif Davis fit is non-negotiable; his delivery from the left is their primary source of "Big Chances."
Analyze the "expected goals" (xG) rather than just the scoreline next time. In the 4-1 Spurs win, the xG was actually relatively close (1.13 to 1.62). It suggests that while Spurs were more clinical, Ipswich weren't actually "played off the park" as much as the score suggests. They just lacked a finisher of Son's caliber to turn those half-chances into goals.
Watch the substitution patterns in the final 20 minutes of their next clash. Both managers are proactive, often making triple changes to alter the tempo. Maddison’s ability to come off the bench and dictate play against tired legs remains a "cheat code" that Ipswich hasn't quite found an answer for yet. Focusing on these micro-battles will give you a much better idea of who’s actually winning the tactical war, regardless of what the scoreboard says.