31 August 2024
Ipswich Town 1 Fulham 1
The Tractor Boys welcomed Fulham to Portman Road, eager to get their first win since returning to the Premier League. Having faced Liverpool in their other home game this season, Kieran McKenna would have seen this as a much more winnable game. Last campaign, Marco Silva’s side struggled to pick up points on the road and that needed to change.
As an attack for the visitors broke down, Davis picked up the ball and charged forward. The left-back looked more than comfortable with the ball at his feet as he put Fulham on the back foot. He played it to Delap, who continued forward, before letting fly from outside the box. He caught his shot sweetly and beat Leno as the ball arrowed into the far corner.
Portman Road erupted as the summer signing from Man City got their first Premier League goal at home. Ipswich Town had splashed out £107m on transfers in the summer to try and ensure their plight of staying in the top-flight. Delap’s goal went some way to repaying the club for deciding to spend £20m to bring him in from Man City.
The goal really gave Ipswich Town the confidence boost they needed in this league. The fans were behind them, the stadium bouncing and they were looking to turn the screw. After forcing a corner they really should have doubled their lead but the header went just wide of the post. Moments like this are what games can really hinge upon.
Fulham started passing the ball around in the middle of the park and creating pockets of space. As Smith Rowe found Robinson out wide, he whipped a cross into the box. It seemed to evade everyone until Traore arrived and side-footed it into the back of the net. It seemed to wrongfoot Muric in the hosts’ goal as he could not sort his feet out and the effort seemed to go through him.
Only three games into the season, the Ipswich Town keeper has been culpable for some errors leading to goals. This may be something Kieran McKenna needs to address sooner rather than later as they are not a team who can afford to give goals away. Considering the margins involved, something like this can change the flow of the game so easily.
You wonder what possessed the Tractor Boys to make a move for the keeper in the summer transfer window. He made quite a few glaring errors for Burnley last season, so definitely has these in his locker. There had to be better options available to them. One such player would have been Aaron Ramsdale who recently moved to fellow new boys Southampton for a nominal transfer fee.
The Cottagers were in the ascendency and had the hosts pegged back in their own half. The ball was played out wide to Traore, who clipped an inch-perfect cross into Muniz. He had a completely free header in the middle of the goal but put his effort too close to Muric, who got down to make the save. Big chance wasted for Marco Silva’s side.
Into the second half and Ipswich Town began on the front foot. Delap picked up the ball with his back to goal and managed to turn and shoot in an instant. Leno got down to make a fingertip save to deny the hosts. You can already see that the Tractor Boys’ striker will be integral to their success this season. Goals will give him confidence and that seems key to his game.
Silva’s side did not rest on their laurels and continued to come forward. Some nice interplay saw the ball laid off to Smith Rowe in the box and he struck his shot well. The midfielder felt it was heading in until Ipswich got bodies in front of the ball and deflected it behind for a corner. At this point, the game was hanging on a knife edge and you felt the next goal would decide this game.
New signing Sander Berge came on for the visitors. He was involved as he released Jimenez down the left. He had nothing else on his mind but to make a bee line for the goal. As he got into the box, at a tight angle, the Mexican forward tried to get a shot off at goal. Muric saved at the near post and the hosts managed to clear their lines.
Both sides huffed and puffed in the latter stages of the game but could not create a clear-cut chance. Hutchinson managed to get a shot off at goal from just inside the box but it was too close to Leno who got down to make the save. The points were shared and most importantly for Ipswich Town, that solitary point was enough to take them out of the bottom three.
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