Brennan Johnson inspires Tottenham to thumping win over Ipswich

Johnson's brace came after Ipswich had come close to taking the lead, with Liam Delap hitting the post with a glancing header early on. Ipswich forward Omari Hutchinson did manage to pull one back before halftime, but Spurs were relentless.

Despite Ipswich's efforts to find an equalizer in the second half, they struggled to create clear-cut chances. Spurs increased their advantage with a deflected shot from Spence in the 77th minute, followed by a brilliant solo goal from Kulusevski in the 84th.

The result saw Spurs move up to 12th place with 33 points from 26 matches, while Ipswich remained in 18th with 17 points, five points away from safety after Wolverhampton Wanderers' 1-0 win at high-flying Bournemouth.

"It's great to have Brennan back. He scores so many goals for us in those positions," said manager Ange Postecoglou, whose side has now won three consecutive league matches for the first time since December 2023, following victories over Brentford and Manchester United.

Ipswich made a strong start, with Delap coming close twice - first with a shot across goal that went wide and then with a header that struck the post after he outjumped the defense to meet a Kalvin Phillips free kick.

But after weathering the early pressure, Spurs broke the deadlock in the 18th minute. Johnson finished off a superb cross from Son Heung-Min, who had expertly evaded Ben Godfrey down the left before delivering a ball into the six-yard box.

Johnson doubled his tally just eight minutes later. This time, Son cut inside and provided a perfectly weighted pass for Johnson to finish past Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer.

Ipswich responded in the 36th minute when Hutchinson fired a left-footed shot into the far corner of Guglielmo Vicario's net. Spurs defender Kevin Danso had lost possession, and Phillips played a pass to Jack Clarke on the left, who set up Hutchinson for the goal.

Ipswich fought hard for an equalizer in the second half, but their efforts were futile as Tottenham sealed the win with Spence's deflected shot in the 77th minute. Spence was assisted by James Maddison, who showed some clever footwork in the box.

Kulusevski added a final touch in the 84th minute, running down the right wing before cutting inside and slotting a low shot into the far corner.

Ipswich fans were upset after a clash of heads between Jacob Greaves and Spurs' Dane Scarlett, thinking play should have stopped at that moment.

"I always felt we were a threat when we had the ball," Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference. "Our goals were of high quality, and our attacking play was exciting and clinical. It's been helpful to get some players back from injury."

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