Tottenham’s winless run continues after Rangers draw

Dejan Kulusevski’s 75th minute equaliser was enough to stop the rot but Tottenham’s poor form continued as they drew 1-1 with Rangers at Ibrox.

After a subdue first half, Rangers had taken the lead in the 47th minute through Hamza Igamane’s superb volleyed strike, but substitute Kulusevski’s calmly placed effort into the bottom corner ensured Ange Postecoglou’s men did not return to England empty handed.

The draw halts Tottenham’s run of defeats, but they have now won only once in their last eight matches, with the pressure continuing to mount of manager Postecoglou.

Ibrox was a cauldron of noise as the teams entered the pitch, the deafening sound drowned out the usually pre-match drumming of the Europa League anthem.

Spurs entered the match on a run of one win in seven games, with the 4-0 drubbing of Manchester City the only exception. Rangers had won four times since Spurs last tasted victory, with both sides’ confidences at the opposite sides of the spectrum. It had been six matches and 32 years since Rangers last defeated an English team, with the previous visit of Liverpool in 2022 resulting in a 7-1 battering.

Spurs carried little attacking threat during then first half, as Postecoglou’s front line struggled to click with Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke on the bench. Philippe Clement promised changes ahead of the Gers’ Scottish League Cup final against Celtic on Sunday and he delivered, with the Belgian making four changes to his side.

The banner “Make Rangers Great Again” covered the lower tier of the Copland Stand before the match, and Nicolas Raskin embodied the fans’ attitude with the Tottenham midfield. First the Belgian barged Rodrigo Bentancur out the way, then made light work of Yves Bissouma before swiping James Maddison to the ground, all in the first half.

But the opening 20 minutes was a less illicit affair than the pre-match proceedings had suggested, with both teams struggled to take control. Václav Cerny had the first meaningful effort at goal 25 minutes in, but Fraser Forster got enough behind the ball to keep the scores level.

Cerny looked the most likely to penetrate the patched up defence from the visitors, with Forster denying the Czech international at the end of the first period after a subdued 45 minutes from Postecoglou’s men.

With an evident sense of fear amongst his players, Postecoglou sent his team out early after the break, as well as introducing Kulusevski into the fold. However only two minutes into the second half, queue Ibrox bedlam as the home side went in front. Captain James Tavernier floated an inviting ball towards the back post and the unmarked Igamane was on hand to volley in the opening goal.

Roars reverberated around Ibrox as the joyous home supporters took aim at former foe Postecoglou, with symphonies of “You’re getting sacked in the morning” towards the former Celtic boss.

One way traffic followed the goal, with the north Londoners suffocated into their own third by the Rangers attack as the Scots smelled blood. Mohamed Diomande’s deflected volley had Forster wrong-footed moments later, but fortunately for the former Celtic goalkeeper he watched the ball narrowly roll wide.

But for all the pressure that the hosts put on Tottenham in an attempt to extend their advantage, it was the visitors who struck the most crucial of equalisers with 15 minutes to go. Substitute Solanke’s cross into the box was dummied by the onrushing Maddison, with fellow inductee Kulusevski latching onto to the loose ball before firing low past Gers stopper Jack Butland to bring Spurs level.

With five minutes left on the clock substitute Cyriel Dessers then almost took the roof off Ibrox after he spun past the makeshift Spurs defence of 18-year-old Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin, but his shot was brilliant saved at point blank by Forster.

After both sides traded blows in the closing stages, the draw ensures Rangers remain in the top eight of the Europa League table, with Tottenham one place behind them in ninth.