Soccer

Liam Delap’s ruthless Ipswich double denies Aston Villa share of top spot

Ipswich’s fourth draw on the bounce is enough to lift them out of the relegation zone

Liam Delap celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Aston Villa. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty
Liam Delap celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the Premier League match between Ipswich Town and Aston Villa. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty
Will Magee at Portman Road
Sun Sept 29 2024 - 16:59
Premier League: Ipswich Town 2 Aston Villa 2 (Delap 8, 72; Rogers 15, Watkins 32)

They may have to wait a little longer for their first win of the season but, on this evidence, Ipswich are not far off. They denied Aston Villa the chance to move level on points with Liverpool at the Premier League summit with a hard-fought 2-2 draw at Portman Road, a goal from Liam Delap in each half cancelling out strikes from Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.

For fans who lived through the clubs’ 1980s glory days, this meeting was imbued with a sense of deep nostalgia. With Villa dining at Europe’s top table for the first time since the 1982-83 campaign – the season after their underdog European Cup triumph, and two seasons after they last won the league as Ipswich finished runners-up under Bobby Robson – there were echoes of history everywhere.

Villa fans queued for photos with the statue of a smiling Robson outside the Cobbold Stand before kick-off, commemorating the manager who so often masterminded victories over their side even in that golden era.

From the moment Liam Delap squeezed in at the near post with eight minutes on the clock, it became clear that, just as in Robson’s era, Villa were in for a difficult afternoon at Portman Road.

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Kieran McKenna made three changes to the side that snatched a draw against Southampton last weekend – Chiedozie Ogbene and Jack Clarke coming in on the wings as Kalvin Phillips replaced Jens Cajuste in midfield – while Emery made a single change to the team that beat Wolves, the injured John McGinn making way for Leon Bailey. Phillips and Clarke helped to make the opening goal, the former latching on to Ezri Konsa’s loose pass out from the back and freeing the latter to tee up Delap.

The stands erupted, Ipswich fans revelling in what was only their fourth league goal of the season. The euphoria had barely dissipated before Villa levelled the score, however, a badly misplaced clearance from Jacob Greaves finding Rogers who, after a neat one-two with Watkins, lashed a shot past Arijanet Muric in the home goal.

Ipswich puffed up their chests and came again, Axel Tuanzebe heading just over from a free kick before Leif Davis, after an overlapping run on the left flank, whipped in a dangerous cross which Clarke was unable to direct on target.

Gradually, though, Villa started to turn the dial, asserting control with carefully constructed passing moves and patient possession. It paid off when, with a little over half an hour gone, they worked a crossing opportunity for Bailey who, having found Watkins with a sweeping ball out wide on the right, watched on as his team-mate headed back across Muric to give the visitors the lead.

Ipswich came forward once more, Emi Martínez making two superb saves to keep out a rebound smash from Phillips and then Delap one on one, but they were unable to find an equaliser of their own.

The hosts maintained their tempo after the break, Clarke and Davis proving a tricky combination on the left. Clarke started to get the better of his battle with Konsa, drifting into the inside channel to set up Davis, haring in from out wide, for a shot which whistled past the stanchion.

Cracks began to appear in Villa’s defensive structure before, with 72 minutes gone, it fragmented. Omari Hutchinson spotted Delap in a vast expanse of space out wide, again on that troublesome left flank. Delap charged in behind and, turning Diego Carlos inside out with a subtle stepover, rifled a shot across Martínez and in at the far post.

Ipswich were half a yard away from taking all three points, Clarke sprinting clear and teeing up the substitute Wes Burns to his right, only for Pau Torres to rush across and make a decisive block.

The hosts pushed hard for the winner, the match ending in a succession of corners which must have left the travelling fans watching through their fingers, but it ended honours even, Ipswich’s fourth draw on the bounce enough to lift them out of the relegation zone and give them hope of better things to come. – Guardian