The Guardian

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

Some much-needed succour for the champions here. Since the start of last season, according to a graphic flashed up by Sky Sports, no team has recovered more points from losing positions than Manchester City. That probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise, but there it is nonetheless.

Share

Updated at 19.24 CET

HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

City started fast … then came off the rails. Or more accurately, were barged off them by some sensational Spurs attacking. City are staring down the barrel of a fifth straight defeat in all competitions, though both teams will doubtlessly be thinking about this …

… so don’t go anywhere. Huge second half coming up!

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

Updated at 19.06 CET

Share

Share

Share

Share

Updated at 18.57 CET

Share

Share

GOAL! Manchester City 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Maddison 20)

It’s James Maddison’s 28th birthday today, and he’s having a party. City give the ball away again, Gvardiol playing a poor blind pass in from the right touchline. Maddison snaffles, then rolls across to Son, who holds up the ball on the edge of the area. Maddison has continued running diagonally, and Son finds him with a return down the inside left. Maddison squares up to Ederson and dinks over the keeper and in. Wow!

Share

Updated at 18.58 CET

Share

Share

Share

Share

Share

GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Maddison 13)

Well this scoreline is absolutely absurd! City could easily be two or three up, but they’re trailing! Kulusevski brushes off Gvardiol down the right. He cuts back before curling a sensational cross over the stranded Stones and towards Maddison, who sidefoots the dropping ball into the bottom left. What a goal! What a weird game football can be sometimes!

Share

Updated at 18.50 CET

Share

Share

Share

Updated at 18.40 CET

Share

Share

Share

Share

Updated at 18.44 CET

Share

Share

Spurs get the ball rolling … and lose it within seconds. Foden advances down the right and Bissouma cynically clips him from behind. The tackle on 12 seconds, the booking on 16. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Yves!

Share

Updated at 18.42 CET

Rodri may be missing from the Manchester City line-up, but he’s in the house tonight. The main Etihad lights are dimmed and the influential midfielder comes onto the pitch, kissing his Ballon d’Or before raising it to the sky in front of tall lights that spell out RODRI in Elvis ‘68 Comeback Special style. And then the teams come out, City in blue, Spurs in white. We’ll be off in a minute.

Share

Updated at 18.34 CET

Ange Postecoglou talks to Sky. “A lot of internationals are coming back … Madders has been training with us and is probably one of the fresher ones … we’re mindful of the fact we’re going to have to have a little of the ball today … start well that way … Brennan will play a huge part when he comes on … when you play City, if you give them too much of the ball they’ll cause you problems … we’ll probably move Kulusevski wide … he’s done well against City in that area.”

Share

Pep Guardiola is asked by Sky Sports whether his new contract will give his team a positive boost. “Positivity depends on the way we play … it is how you have to perform … winning games … we have had many injuries … many are now coming back which is good news for us … it is nice to see players available to play.”

He’s also asked who will take up the Rodri role in the Ballon’ d’Or winner’s absence now Mateo Kovačić is out for a month. Rico Lewis? Pep smiles enigmatically. “You will see it.”

Share

Updated at 18.10 CET

The 3pm kick-offs have finished, and it’s getting tight at the top. Arsenal have beaten Nottingham Forest 3-0 while Brighton won 2-1 at Bournemouth. Throw in Chelsea’s earlier 2-1 victory at Leicester, and the chasing pack are closing in on second-placed City. Meanwhile ten-man Brentford’s staunch goalless draw at Everton pushes Spurs into the bottom half of the table, for a couple of hours at least.

Share

Manchester City make three changes in the wake of their 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion. John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji are back in; Matheus Nunes and Jahmai Simpson-Pusey drop to the bench, while Mateo Kovačić is absent through injury.

Tottenham also make three changes after their 2-1 loss against Ipswich Town. James Maddison, Yves Bissouma and Ben Davies return to the starting XI, with Brennan Johnson dropping to the bench, Cristian Romero injured, and Rodrigo Bentancur suspended.

Share

Updated at 17.36 CET

The teams

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol, Lewis, Gundogan, Silva, Savinho, Foden, Haaland.

Subs: Ortega, Ake, Grealish, De Bruyne, Nunes, Wright, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, McAtee.

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie, Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son, Solanke.

Subs: Forster, Spence, Hardy, Gray, Bergvall, Olusesi, Johnson, Werner, Lankshear.

Referee: John Brooks

VAR: Michael Salisbury

Share

Updated at 17.34 CET

Preamble

We’ve just had an international break, and yet it feels like these two never went away. They’ve hardly been out of the news all week: Pep Guardiola with his new two-year extension to his Manchester City contract, Spurs dealing with the Bentancur Imbroglio. In that sense there’s more of a feel-good vibe around City right now … but then Spurs have only lost their last two matches, while City have lost their last four. Six and two threes.

Thing is, lads, look, listen mate, it’s Dr Tottenham, they’ve found themselves in this sort of state before; City, in their modern guise, not so often. Pep not at all. So it’s going to be interesting to watch the gilded champions attempt to bounce back. They don’t particularly enjoy playing Spurs, either, and that’s not even 1981 FA Cup final-infused DNA: Spurs beat City’s reserve team last month in the League Cup, while dealing them last-minute blows on two of their last three visits to the Etihad, here and here. Those two matches were sandwiched by this one, to be fair, and that’ll be the peg on which City today hang their hat. All of which is a long-winded way of saying, this could be great fun, because recent history – and indeed both matches of that epic 1981 clash - suggests pretty much anything could happen. Kick-off is at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!

Share

Ange Postecoglou has admitted his position will be under “a lot of scrutiny” if he has not lifted Tottenham out of mid-table by Christmas. The club play at Manchester City on Saturday – the start of what Postecoglou called a “pivotal” nine-game sequence in 29 days – and he was keen to highlight the fine margins at work.

If Spurs had beaten Ipswich at home on the Sunday before last, they would sit third in the Premier League. They have the second-best goal difference in the division, are into the Carabao Cup quarter-final – where they have a home tie against Manchester United – and are going well in the Europa League.

Instead, they were beaten by Ipswich – they have lost before each of the three international breaks – to lag in 10th. Postecoglou made a fast start to his Spurs tenure, winning eight and drawing two of 10 league matches at the beginning of last season. Since then his record in the competition reads W17 D5 L17.

“It’s a significant period and at the end of it we could be in a decent position for a strong second half of the year,” Postecoglou said. “You can build some momentum or if things don’t go well you could get yourself into a bit of a grind. So it’s going to be a really pivotal part of the season. If we’re still 10th then people won’t be happy, I won’t be happy. But we might not be 10th.

“If we had beaten Ipswich, we’d be third and I reckon this press conference would be much different. I’m not going to let my life be dictated by one result. I take a wider perspective because I know how fickle it can be. But we need to address our position. And if we’re 10th at Christmas it won’t be great – for sure. Rightly so, there’d be a lot of scrutiny and probably a lot of scrutiny around me. That’s not where I plan for us to be.”

Postecoglou, preparing for his 50th league game in charge, said Spurs were “definitely a better side than we were last year”. He also remembered where the club were when he took over. They had finished eighth, failing to qualify for Europe, and were about to embark on a squad overhaul in terms of personnel and style.

“I think there’s enough there that shows we are progressing and developing into the team we want,” Postecoglou said. “The key is the next 50 games: if they can be, in totality, better than the first 50? First, that means I’m here. Second, I think we’ll be in a good space. I firmly believe we’re on the right path. I firmly believe in this squad of players. I firmly believe we will have success. But I can see why outwardly, if you put a pin in it right now, it doesn’t look that way.”

Postecoglou reported that Cristian Romero would miss the City game as he looks to recover full fitness after hamstring and toe problems. The manager’s other first-choice centre-half, Micky van de Ven, is out with a hamstring injury, meaning Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies are likely to start.

Romero came off at half-time for Argentina against Paraguay on Thursday of last week and missed his country’s game against Peru on Wednesday. His daughter, Lucy, was born on Tuesday. Postecoglou admitted Romero had not been properly fit for a few weeks and he was asked whether he might have had second thoughts about him travelling to South America.

“Yeah, you do,” Postecoglou replied. “But there’s always a line there, especially with someone like Romero, where you’ve got to trust his judgment as well. He understands the responsibility he has.

“I think when he went away, he realised that this is not healing the way we want it to. I said: ‘Just have a break. We need you 100% fit.’ As much as we’d love to have him out there, it’s best for him he gets totally over everything. He had the birth of his daughter this week, which is a significant event in his life. It’s important for him to pause a little bit and just spend some time with his family. He’s kind of over both [injuries] now. But we’ll just wait.”

Postecoglou also addressed the fallout from Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban for making a racial slur against his teammate Son Heung- min. The club are understood to have not fined him and want the FA’s suspension reduced to the minimum tariff of six matches but their appeal has been criticised for its bad optics, particularly as their position is that Bentancur has made a mistake. The seventh game of his ban is against Liverpool.

“I couldn’t care less who it is against and, yes, the appeal is worth it,” Postecoglou said. “We still have a judicial process. That’s why appeals are there. We think it was harsh, we think it should have been the minimum [punishment] and we’ll go through that process.”

Tottenham have not fined Rodrigo Bentancur for using a racial slur against teammate Son Heung-min despite their midfielder being found guilty of “aggravated misconduct” by the Football Association.

Bentancur was handed a seven-match ban and £100,000 fine by the FA this week, but the Guardian has learned that his club have not punished him.

Tottenham have backed Bentancur in regards to the remarks he made about Son in a TV interview in June while in his native Uruguay. In it, the 27-year-old was asked to provide a shirt belonging to a Spurs player. “Sonny’s?” Bentancur replied. “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.” Spurs have accepted the FA’s guilty finding but are appealing against the length of his ban and hope to get it reduced to six matches.

The club’s position is understood to be based on their conclusion that Bentancur did not intend any offence in making the remarks, and that he was attempting to push back against a question he found offensive. In his defence at the FA hearing, Bentancur claimed he was responding sarcastically to the interviewer, who had referred to Son as “the Korean”.

Bentancur issued a public apology for any offence caused the day after the interview was broadcast, as well as apologising to Son in person, which the Spurs captain accepted. Rather than punish Bentancur, Tottenham are understood to have decided to provide more diversity and equality training for their players, which took place over the summer. Bentancur has also been ordered to attend an additional face-to-face education programme by the FA.

The Uruguay international’s seven-match ban begins with Saturday’s visit to Manchester City and he is due to miss five further Premier League games, as well as the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on 19 December.

Tottenham have appealed against the length of the ban imposed on Bentancur, but with FA regulations stating that the minimum suspension for aggravated misconduct is six matches the best they can hope for is a one-game reduction. If successful, the player would be able to return to Ange Postecoglou’s side for the Premier League visit of Liverpool on 22 December.

Tottenham declined to comment in regards to their decision not to fine Bentancur.

Tottenham have appealed against the length of the ban imposed on midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur for comments he made about his teammate Son Heung-min. The Football Association announced on Monday that Bentancur would serve a seven-match domestic suspension, covering six Premier League fixtures and a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United.

The 27-year-old Uruguay international was charged with misconduct in September after a television interview he gave in his home country in June, with the reference to Son’s race making it an aggravated breach. Bentancur was asked to provide a shirt belonging to a Spurs player. “Sonny’s?” he replied. “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

Spurs said: “While we accept the guilty finding against Rodrigo by the independent regulatory commission, we believe the subsequent sanction is severe. Rodrigo will remain suspended from domestic competitions while the appeal is heard and the club will make no further comment during this time”.

The standard minimum ban where such a breach is established is six matches, so Spurs may be hoping to get a one-match reduction in the suspension.

Bentancur apologised to Son on Instagram for his remarks and the Spurs captain accepted that apology on the same platform. “I’ve spoken with Lolo [Bentancur]. He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised,” Son said.

“Lolo would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all. We’re past this, we’re united and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one.”

Bentancur, whose ban begins with Saturday evening’s trip to Manchester City, was also fined £100,000.

There was apprehension among home supporters at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday. A fear of defeat, a regret that this fixture, the north London derby, was not being played a month earlier when Arsenal were limping towards the exit of Jonas Eidevall as manager. The mood was up too; 28,852 fans were in attendance and in good spirits, regardless of the result they may have expected.

That’s only 46% of the stadium’s capacity but it felt comfortably full, the lower tier packed and a spray of fans extending into the upper. The large pocket of Arsenal followers in the corner were in full voice, scarves spinning, a block of red and white set against the deep blue and white around them. It was a normal matchday, the rivalry there, but as with most women’s football matches there was a family-friendly feel. It’s not manufactured – it doesn’t need to be. It is just a natural consequence of cheaper tickets that would likely extend to men’s matches if people could afford to take their families.

Shortly before the final whistle in a game that ended 3-0 to the visitors there was an exodus – when attendances are up in the tens of thousands, beating the post-match traffic becomes a thing. But there was also a need to rush away for those hopping south for the day’s top-of-the table clash between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. The Baller FC and Women’s Professional Game collaboration, taking 50 fans between the two fixtures, gathered outside to pose for photographs as music blared from a speaker. It was a little gimmicky, but wh o cares?

Coming out of Fulham Broadway station, sweaty and stretching, sardines spilling from a can on to the platform, that speaker could be heard again, acting the pied piper as fans swarmed towards the Bridge. The attendance for the subsequent encounter, that Chelsea won 2-0 after breaking the deadlock in the 75th minute, was 19,499. The atmosphere was tense, fraught with emotion, the crowd keenly engaged with the chess match taking place before them.

Further south, at the Amex Stadium, 4,638 fans saw Brighton’s thrilling 3-2 victory over West Ham. And on Sunday it was the turn of Goodison Park, Villa Park and the King Power Stadium to host Women’s Super League action, with every WSL and Championship game taking place at main stadiums on the same weekend for the first time. There were 9,823 at the Merseyside derby, 2,673 at Villa Park and 5,405 in attendance for Manchester United’s 2-0 win at Leicester.

These figures were below the heights reached by Arsenal as a patient three-year plan to move from three to eight WSL games a season at the Emirates paid dividends. The record for a WSL match was set in February, when 60,160 fans saw Arsenal’s victory over Manchester United. That was followed by 60,050 at the same venue a month later for the visit of Tottenham, which also topped the previous record of 59,042 in December 2023 for Arsenal’s 4-1 defeat of Chelsea.

A concerted marketing, commercial and ticketing strategy has guided the Gunners to this point. The commitment to hosting the women’s team at the Emirates with increasing frequency makes a statement about how Arsenal value their female players and sets a tone that says fans should do so too. The rest of the league are closer to the start of this journey.

However, with eight WSL games and a minimum of three Champions League matches at the Emirates this season, there has been a dip in attendances – 41,818 for Arsenal’s opening-day 2-2 draw with Manchester City, 25,480 for the 0-0 with Everton, 45,860 for the 2-1 loss to Chelsea and 22,467 for the 5-0 defeat of Brighton. These are respectable figures but should we be worried that Arsenal are no longer selling out the ground, and that other teams are struggling to hit the 10,000-attendance figure?

For Arsenal, games at the Emirates becoming the norm will naturally see some fans picking and choosing which they attend before they are fully invested in the journey of the team. And that will come as the relationship between the team and fanbase strengthens. It takes time. Arsenal are three steps ahead of the rest, but they show what is possible and demonstrate how to get there.

With no major tournament for the Lionesses last summer there was no post-tournament boost, and selling out big stadiums is not something that will happen overnight. Rather it will take focused and patient work. Establishing a fanbase that is emotionally and financially invested is no mean feat. No growth goes upwards in a straight line; there will be dips and moments when progress slows. As long as the overall trajectory is up, there is nothing to worry about.

Rodrigo Bentancur has been banned for seven domestic matches by the Football Association for using a racial slur against his Tottenham teammate Son Heung-min.

The midfielder, who has also been fined £100,000, denied the charge, which the FA brought in September and described as an “aggravated breach” of its rules as it included a “reference to nationality and/or race and/or ethnic origin.” It related to a TV interview that Bentancur gave in June while on international duty with Uruguay. In it, he was asked to provide a shirt belonging to a Spurs player. “Sonny’s?” Bentancur replied. “It could be Sonny’s cousin too as they all look the same.”

The independent regulatory commission found the charge to be proven and the suspension will begin immediately, ruling Bentancur out of Spurs’s Premier League games against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, plus the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United. He will be available again for the trip to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day. Bentancur can continue to play in the club’s Europa League ties.

The 27-year-old’s absence is a blow for Ange Postecoglou, who has counted on Bentancur, starting him in seven of the team’s 11 league fixtures this season, including the most recent two. He also started the former Juventus player in the previous round of the Carabao Cup last month, when Spurs beat Manchester City.

Bentancur said sorry to Son in private after the interview was broadcast and also issued a public apology. “Sonny brother! I am sorry for what happened, it was a joke in bad taste,” he wrote on social media. “You know that I love you and would never disrespect you, or hurt you or anyone. I love you brother!”

Son revealed in September that Bentancur had “almost cried” when apologising to him. “I love Rodrigo,” Son said. “I repeat, I love him, I love him. He knew and he apologised straight afterwards. We are all human and all make mistakes and we learn from it.”

A rejuvenated Arsenal enjoyed a fifth win from six games without defeat under the stewardship of their interim head coach Renée Slegers as they coasted to a surprisingly easy victory away at neighbours Tottenham in a disappointingly one-sided north London derby.

It took just under 64 seconds for Arsenal to take the lead, with the England striker Alessia Russo emphatically lashing in a first-time strike with her left foot before Tottenham had scarcely had a chance to touch the ball, and when a neat passing move led to the Norway midfielder Frida Maanum being afforded too much time and space in the box to stroke the ball low into the bottom corner for Arsenal’s second in the 22nd minute, the contest felt as good as over.

Only a fingertip save from the Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar prevented Bethany England from pulling a goal back for Tottenham shortly before half-time, as she powered a rising strike goalwards, but the steady stream of Arsenal traffic did not really slow down and they resumed their dominance after the break.

The away side appear to have found a good balance to their team, particularly with the Australia defender Steph Catley being deployed as a left-footed centre-back alongside the England captain Leah Williamson, rather than at left-back, and their 4-2-3-1 setup seemed to bring the best out of Russo, who held the ball up with strength and had eager runners either side of her.

When Russo was brought off for a rest, the Arsenal substitute Stina Blackstenius clipped a first-time effort onto the top of the crossbar from a Katie McCabe cut-back, moments before scoring the visitors’ third goal. The Sweden centre-forward was played on side by a slack Tottenham backline and comfortably tucked the ball beyond a powerless Becky Spencer, much to the delight of the packed section of away supporters in one corner of the bottom tier.

The defeat was Tottenham’s fifth in their past six games and their head coach Robert Vilahamn cut a gloomy figure as this fairly flat-feeling derby came to a close, in total contrast to the euphoric scenes this stadium had witnessed when his team beat Arsenal last term for the first time in the WSL.

Arsenal’s interim boss, who is making a claim for the permanent role, Renée Slegers said of Tottenham: “I think Tottenham are a strong team. They’ve been playing a top four opposition in quite a lot of games already, which are tough games. I think they might be stronger than the results they’ve had so far. So, we’re really respectful of them as an opponent, they have some individual qualities. I think they show great mentality and do things together. So, it’s going to be very hard opponent. But again, I think if we keep on bringing what we’re bringing, I think we’re a top team.”

Share

The team news is in. Tottenham make two changes from their defeat to Manchester City last time out. Ella Morris and Matilda Vinberg drop out for Hayley Raso and Amanda Nilden.

Tottenham: Spencer, Neville, Buhler, Hunt, Nilden, Bartrip, Summanen, Spence, Raso, Naz England..

Arsenal, meanwhile, make one change with Beth Mead benched in favour of Mariona Caldentey. Leah Williamson and Kim Little make their 150th WSL appearances.

Arsenal: Van Domselaar, Fox, Williamson, Catley, Mariona, Little (C), McCabe, Maanum, Walti, Foord, Russo

Share

Preamble

Hello and welcome to the North London derby in the Women’s Super League. This fixture last season at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium created history as Spurs beat Arsenal for the first time in the league, the home crowd will be hoping for a similar result this afternoon.

However, that will prove tricky as Arsenal have hit some good form over the past few weeks. Last weekend they defeated Brighton, who are having a good season themselves, 5-0. The Gunners then followed that up with a thumping 4-0 win over Juventus in the Women’s Champions League. So Spurs do have their work cut out for them.

Tottenham have had a bumpy start to the season and are seventh after only two wins this campaign. But a victory at home in front of a bumper crowd could jumpstart some consistency to their season.

We will take a look at what has been said in the build-up shortly but first let’s take a look at the team news before kick-off at 1.45pm GMT.

Share

Tottenham are resigned to Rodrigo Bentancur being given a lengthy ban of at least six matches by the FA for making an allegedly racist remark about teammate Son Heung-min.

The 27-year-old midfielder was charged with an “aggravated breach” of FA rules in September for offensive comments made during a television interview broadcast in Uruguay in June, when he said that Son and his South Korean teammates “all look the same.”

In the interview Bentancur was asked to provide a Tottenham shirt belonging to Son, to which he replied: “Sonny’s or a cousin of Sonny’s? They all look the same, more or less.”

Bentancur apologised to Son privately shortly after the interview was broadcast, as well as issuing a public apology on social media.

“Sonny brother! I am sorry for what happened, it was a joke in bad taste,” he wrote on social media. “You know that I love you and would never disrespect you, or hurt you or anyone. I love you brother!”

The FA charged Bentancur with using abusive language and acting in a manner which brought the game into disrepute, adding that it was an aggravated breach as it allegedly involved references to nationality, race or ethnic origin.

Tottenham are understood to have questioned the FA’s jurisdiction to charge Bentancur as the comments were made when the player was on international duty, but following a private hearing by a independent commission the club are now resigned to a guilty verdict.

The FA increased the minimum sanction for the use of racist language to six matches in 2019, with Tottenham fearful that Bentancur could get a longer ban.

Tottenham’s next six Premier League games are against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, while they also have a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United next month.

A lengthy ban would be a major blow for manager Ange Postecoglou, as Bentancur has played in 10 of Tottenham’s 11 Premier League games so far this season.

Bentancur’s relationship with Son has seemingly not been damaged as a result of the interview, with the Tottenham captain revealing in September that his teammate “almost cried” when apologising to him. “I love Rodrigo,” Son said. “I repeat, I love him, I love him.”

Tottenham declined to comment.

The away end’s explosion of noise and limbs at full time left no question about what this meant to Ipswich. They had waited 22 and a half years for a Premier League win and the nagging thought remained, throughout nine minutes of added time, that they might fall just short yet again. But when Aro Muric saved from Dominic Solanke the outcome was virtually assured and what a feather in the cap this was for Kieran McKenna, whose superbly coached side will feel their season has liftoff now.

McKenna, beaming as he walked off the pitch, had done a number on the club where he started his career as a player and academy coach. It said everything about Ipswich’s performance, not to mention that of Tottenham, that the points went where they were deserved. The away side were excellent in the first half, picking their moments to attack and scoring well-worked goals through Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap before hanging on once Rodrigo Bentancur’s header threatened to transform the picture. They saw the game out in relative serenity and, on this evidence, look a convincing top-flight proposition.

It was harder to define Tottenham after a muddled afternoon’s work in which they gave themselves too much to do. A week previously they had given Aston Villa a head start before blowing them away; West Ham received similar treatment last month; but they cannot always presume to skewer their opponents after the break. When Bentancur scored a switch appeared to have flicked but their pressure never quite ­materialised into an all-out siege.

Minds and legs seemed tired, perhaps not helped by a midweek excursion to Istanbul. Ipswich were sharper and hungrier in the moments that mattered, Omari Hutchinson putting in a phenomenal shift and playing an integral part in Delap’s ultimately decisive finish. It was their day: one that finished with Ed Sheeran, who had played a role in designing the pink kit they debuted here, congratulating the squad in the dressing room.

“It’s a really significant moment in the recent history of the club,” ­McKenna said. “A massive day for the supporters and a really significant day for where the club was two years ago.” On the equivalent weekend of 2022 they were drawing at home to Cheltenham; the job McKenna has performed is astounding and his team looked perfectly at home here.

Few more so than Jens Cajuste, who has obvious pedigree as a loanee from Napoli but only started because of Kalvin Phillips’ suspension. Cajuste made Ipswich tick before the interval and they had come mightily close twice before his initiative unlocked the door. He changed the tempo of a patient passing move with a burst through midfield and, eventually receiving possession again, delivered a right-sided cross that snicked off Delap’s head as he challenged ­Cristian Romero. Szmodics, his back to goal and under little pressure, had time to contort himself for an overhead kick that fizzed past Guglielmo Vicario’s dive.

The Spurs keeper had won that particular duel within two minutes of kick-off, repelling from an angle after the first of numerous Hutchinson sprints made the chance. Soon afterwards Cameron Burgess had headed against the bar, so Tottenham could hardly consider themselves not warned. Szmodics’ intervention should have jolted them into action but instead Ipswich streaked further ahead.

Delap will never be presented with an easier finish, making sure from a rebound off Radu Dragusin that was already heading goalwards. But the conception had been a masterful display of back-to-front football, even if it began with Ipswich riding their luck through a misunderstanding between Muric and Sam Morsy. Eventually they cleared their lines, Hutchinson wriggling away from Bentancur and eating up the ground before finding Leif Davis. Beyond him darted Szmodics who, from the byline, drilled a centre from which Vicario parried against his ­unfortunate centre-back.

“The first half was pretty much spot-on,” McKenna said. Beyond a Brennan Johnson prod that trickled wide and a Solanke effort that Muric stopped smartly, Spurs’ huff and puff had yielded little.

The second half was, on recent evidence, always going to be a different story. Muric tipped over from Son and, from the ­corner, Solanke’s bundled effort was correctly ruled out for handball by the video assistant referee. But the screw was never quite consistently turned, even after Bentancur had thundered unmarked onto Pedro Porro’s corner. The late Solanke chance aside, Ipswich looked strong and composed in pulling through.

“We can’t start games like that at this level and expect to just overcome the gap,” bemoaned Ange ­Postecoglou. “We gave ourselves a mountain to climb.” It is feast or famine for Tottenham nowadays and their manager needs to find some middle ground for those days when they are spluttering.

McKenna, for his part, was ­entitled to purr. “It’s nice to do it here, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. The personal significance was clear; ­collectively, Ipswich could feel a colossal weight lift.