Whilst Tottenham Hotspur were taking care of Aston Villa at White Hart Lane, somewhere to the North-East, at Portman Road, Ipswich to be exact, two Tottenham youngsters were having a crucial impact in defeating Leeds United.
Whilst Andros Townsend has quickly become an established name on the Town teamsheet, Jake Livermore went about demonstrating that he can have an equally pivotal impact alongside his former teammate. Playing in the role vacated by the suspended David Norris, Livermore produced a performance of strength and quality on the ball which suggests he will provide excellent competition for places in the middle of the pitch.
In a first half which failed to enthral either set of supporters, Livermore was integral to the highlight moment as his interception and excellent through pass allowed Jason Scotland to score the halfs only goal.
Speaking to the BBC, Boss Roy Keane was clearly delighted with Livermores contribution for the goal “It was a very good ball, I have to say. With the one striker up front you need that bit of quality coming in behind him and it was a very good ball. Jake did pretty well for us today”.
The game came to life in the second period, as Town were aided by a change in formation which allowed them to support the tiring Jason Scotland. Having set out with an initial 4-3-3, utilising Grant Leadbitter in the holding role for which he is perhaps not ideally suited, Roy Keane introduced Tamas Priskin to the game, switching to a flat four-man midfield.
Whilst Town created, and failed to take, increasingly valuable chances, none more so than that which Jason Scotland blazed over the crossbar from six yards, the work of Andros Townsend on the right wing continued to stretch a troubled Leeds United defence, clearly still reeling from the six goals conceded on Tuesday night at home to Preston.
The decision of Leeds United manager Simon Grayson to employ ex-Ipswich Town centre-back Alex Bruce in a right-back berth seemed ill-judged to Town fans accustomed to Bruce’s lack of mobility and penchant to throw himself into tackles. And so it proved.
After some uncharacteristically hapless defending from the otherwise impeccable Gareth McAuley and Tommy Smith had gifted Leeds United an equaliser, so Bruce once more found himself staring down Townsend in full flight. And Bruce blinked. As Townsend was once again thrown to the floor, Bruce was shown the red card which had seemed inevitable.
Shortly afterwards, Portman Road exploded as Tommy Smith headed the winning goal which seemed fitting on a personal level for a player who had a particularly eventful afternoon. Having originally been named to the substitutes bench, an injury to Darren O’Dea in the warm up found Smith quickly promoted to the centre-back position he has only recently relinquished. Smith played a key part in the mix-up which resulted in the Leeds United equaliser, so the winning goal saw Smith gain personal revenge.
After the game, Roy Keane revealed that he had predicted that Smith would score the winning goal “That’s why it’s important your players are mentally ready and it’s no surprise that Tommy ended up scoring. I said to him beforehand that it would be no surprise if he scored a goal. That happens in football.”
Whilst Smith takes the plaudits for the winning goal and another sound performance, the fact that he was not expected to start the game originally is another indication of the strength in depth which is steadily developing at Portman Road. As Smith himself pointed out after the game, he is now one of four centre-backs with international caps who are vying for two positions.
But it is not just at centre back that competition within the squad is building. Roy Keane was relaxed about his midfield options during the week, when reflecting on the suspensions to both David Norris and Luke Hyam. The performance of Jake Livermore, aided to Jaime Peters playing in yet another role, proved Keanes confidence as justified.
With their large away following, Leeds United helped to create an atmosphere within Portman Road that suggested the locals are starting to warm to the idea of Roy Keanes men mounting a promotion challenge. The win catapulted them back into the top six from which they have only been absent for a handful of days since the start of the season, adding to the growing optimism that the clubs strong opening to the season may be more than just that.
And as the players head off to an international break, fans will be able to look at the league table knowing their team are not moving anywhere from that top six over the next couple of weeks either.
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