Ipswich held on for a 2-1 victory over Tottenham, marking their first Premier League win of the season—and their first in 22 years.
The Tractor Boys, who have faced challenges maintaining leads since returning to England’s top tier this summer, finally did enough to secure all three points and climbed out of the bottom three, pushing Crystal Palace down.
Sammie Szmodics opened the scoring with a well-executed overhead kick past Guglielmo Vicario.
Kieran McKenna’s team, donning their pink third kit designed in collaboration with global music star Ed Sheeran—who was present in the stands—doubled their lead just over ten minutes later as Liam Delap bundled in a goal.
Boos echoed from the Tottenham crowd at halftime, and within minutes of the restart, Spurs seemed to find a response.
However, Dominic Solanke’s strike was ruled out for handball, deflating their momentum until Rodrigo Bentancur rekindled hope with a header from a Pedro Porro corner, 21 minutes from time.
Tottenham pushed for an equalizer, with Solanke’s late shot blocked by Arijanet Muric, but Ipswich held firm to celebrate their first top-flight win since beating Middlesbrough 1-0 at home in April 2002, and their first away since a 2-1 triumph over Everton in February 2002.
Tractor Boys hold on to lead at sixth time of asking
Heading into Sunday’s game, Ipswich had led in matches for just 86 minutes this season—the lowest in the league—despite taking the lead in five of their 10 league matches. However, they struggled to hold these leads, having dropped 12 points from winning positions, second only to Brentford’s 14.
This time, Ipswich broke the trend with a strong all-round display in north London, ensuring they didn’t add to that tally.
They started brightly, with Sammie Szmodics seeing a close-range effort blocked by Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario, and defender Cameron Burgess hitting the crossbar with a header from a tight angle.
Ipswich’s persistence paid off when Jens Cajuste delivered a cross from the right, which Liam Delap flicked on. Szmodics seized the opportunity as Brennan Johnson held back, finishing with style from about 10 yards out.
As Spurs struggled to respond, Omari Hutchinson intercepted in midfield, launching an Ipswich attack. Vicario got a hand to Szmodics’ low cross, but the ball deflected off defender Radu Dragusin, allowing Delap to drive it into the net from close range.
Though Tottenham pressed for a comeback in the second half, they didn’t score until the 69th minute, and Ipswich managed the game comfortably to close out the win.
The victory lifted the Tractor Boys to 17th, a point clear of the relegation zone, ending an 8,238-day wait for a Premier League triumph.
Spurs luck runs out after again falling behind
Tottenham had the chance to leapfrog local rivals Arsenal—who were set to face Chelsea—by extending their impressive streak of come-from-behind home wins.
However, their fortune ran out as they left themselves with too much to do.
Early in the match, Brennan Johnson nearly continued his scoring run, while Son Heung-min and Dominic Solanke tested Ipswich keeper Arijanet Muric. Yet, for the 13th time in 15 home league games this year, Spurs conceded the first goal.
Defensive lapses proved costly, with Johnson failing to close down Ipswich’s opener and Rodrigo Bentancur losing possession on halfway, leading to Ipswich’s second goal. Spurs had previously shown resilience, coming back to win in eight of the 12 games where they’d fallen behind at home.
They looked poised to do it again when Son’s effort was tipped over by Muric. Solanke found the net from the ensuing corner, but the goal was ruled out for handball as he accidentally knocked it onto his own arm.
Unable to mount consistent pressure, Spurs missed further chances, with Solanke and Son both firing over and substitute Timo Werner sending a shot off-target from Son’s setup. Solanke had one final chance in the closing moments, but Muric’s sharp save ensured Ipswich held on for the win.