While they’ve yet to secure their inaugural win of the season, Ipswich Town’s performance shows promise, managing a robust 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in a Premier League match at Portman Road. This game not only stunted Aston Villa’s opportunity to equalise Liverpool’s points at the league’s pinnacle, but it witnessed two goals from Liam Delap, nullifying successful attempts from Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
This eventful match stirred profound nostalgia for long-time supporters who experienced the clubs’ prosperous period in the 1980s. Memories resonated, as Aston Villa performed at the highest European tier for the first time since the 1982-83 season, a season following their surprise victory at the European Cup, and two seasons post their last league triumph when Ipswich, under the guidance of Bobby Robson, emerged second-best.
Robson’s memorabilia outside the Cobbold Stand attracted the Villa fans, seeking photos with the manager’s statue who commanded numerous wins against their team during his golden reign. His influence was reflected when Liam Delap netted a goal within the first 8 minutes, indicating a challenging day for Aston Villa, much like they frequently faced in Robson’s tenure.
Kieran McKenna, Ipswich’s head coach, made three amendments from last week’s team that secured a draw against Southampton. He brought Chiedozie Ogbene and Jack Clarke in on flanks while Kalvin Phillips replaced Jens Cajuste in the middle of the park. A single change was made to the Villa squad who previously defeated the Wolves, with the injured John McGinn giving his place to Leon Bailey. It was indeed Phillips and Clarke who were instrumental in executing the opening goal as a response to Ezri Konsa’s faulty pass, with Delap doing the honours.
Ipswich supporters rejoiced over this goal, which marked only their fourth in the league this season. The jubilation was still lingering when Villa managed to equalise the score, attributed to Jacob Greaves’ poorly executed clearance that found Rogers who, in a quick exchange with Watkins, struck a powerful shot past Ipswich’s goalkeeper, Arijanet Muric.
Despite an initial strong performance from Ipswich with Axel Tuanzebe and Leif Davis creating goal opportunities, it was Villa who took control of the match with carefully crafted passing strategies that paid off. A little over three quarters into the first half, Bailey created an opportunity that saw Watkins direct a right-flank pass back across Muric, putting Villa in the lead.
Ipswich responded by maintaining their intensity post-halftime as Clarke and Davis worked skilled tactics, resulting in near shots from Davis coming in from the wide left. However, a significant breakthrough came when Omari Hutchinson found Delap out in ample room also on the left, who masterfully outmanoeuvred Diego Carlos to score a goal, marking a fissure in Villa’s defence.
As the match drew to a close, the hosts were narrowly close to a potential all-three-points situation as Clarke sprinted ahead and passed to substitute Wes Burns, only to be blocked by a quick judgement from Pau Torres. Ipswich did not let up their efforts for victory as the game ended in multiple corners leaving the spectators on their toes.
Although the match ended in a draw, it marked a fourth consecutive draw for Ipswich, pushing them out of the relegation zone and instilling a sense of hope for future improvement. – Guardian