Tottenham Hotspur were handed a surprise 2-1 defeat by Ipswich Town on Sunday, continuing their inconsistent start to the Premier League season.

The loss comes as a blow to Spurs, who had an opportunity to leapfrog London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal in the table with a win. Instead, they head into the international break on the back of their fifth defeat in 11 matches.

Ipswich took the lead in the 31st minute through an acrobatic finish from Szmodics. Liam Delap then doubled the visitors’ advantage early in the second half, before Rodrigo Bentancur pulled one back for Tottenham in the 69th minute.

Spurs have now conceded the opening goal in 13 of their 14 home Premier League matches since the start of last season – the most of any side. Manager Ange Postecoglou will be concerned by his team’s habit of falling behind, which has forced them to chase games and left them vulnerable defensively.

The defeat also raises questions about the fitness of star forward Son Heung-min, who has struggled with a persistent hamstring injury this campaign. Son showed flashes of quality but was guilty of wayward shooting as Tottenham searched for an equalizer.

Tottenham’s next fixture sees them travel to face title-chasing Manchester City on November 23, before a run of games against Fulham, Bournemouth and Chelsea. Postecoglou will be hoping his side can quickly rediscover the consistency that has been lacking so far this season.