IPSWICH HELD TO A 2-2 DRAW AGAINST FULHAM IN THRILLING PREMIER LEAGUE ENCOUNTER
Fulham and Ipswich Town shared the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon. The match was marked by controversy, with three penalties awarded in the second half, and both teams created numerous scoring opportunities throughout the 90 minutes.
Ipswich took the lead in the 38th minute through Sammie Szmodics, who fired home from close range after a scramble inside the Fulham box. The goal was a result of a brilliant cross from Nathan Broadhead, which Antonee Robinson headed against his own crossbar. The ball bounced kindly for Szmodics, who made no mistake in slotting it past the Fulham goalkeeper.
Fulham’s pressure paid off in the 69th minute when Raul Jimenez equalized from the penalty spot. The penalty was awarded after Harry Wilson was fouled inside the box by Sam Morsy, and Jimenez stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way. The Mexican striker’s penalty was clinical, and it gave Fulham a much-needed boost in their pursuit of all three points.
However, Ipswich immediately regained the lead through Liam Delap’s penalty in the 71st minute. Delap was fouled by Timothy Castagne inside the box, and he fired his effort into the back of the net to put Ipswich ahead once again. The penalty was expertly taken by Delap, who showed great composure under pressure.
The drama continued in the final minute of the match when Jimenez scored his second penalty of the game to level the scores at 2-2. The penalty was awarded after Leif Davis fouled Jimenez inside the box, and the Mexican striker stepped up to score his 55th Premier League goal. Jimenez’s penalty was once again clinical, and it ensured that Fulham would take a share of the spoils.
The draw leaves Ipswich in 18th place in the Premier League table, while Fulham remains in ninth place with 30 points from their opening 20 matches of the 2024-25 campaign. Despite the draw, Ipswich will take heart from their performance, which showed that they are capable of competing with the top teams in the league.
“We’re disappointed not to have taken all three points, but we’re proud of the way we played,” said Ipswich manager, Kieran McKenna. “We created some great chances and showed that we can compete with the best teams in the league.”
Fulham manager, Marco Silva, was also pleased with his team’s performance, despite the draw. “We dominated the game and created some great chances, but we couldn’t take all three points,” he said. “However, we’re happy with the point and we’ll take it as a positive result.”
The draw was a fair result, given the number of chances created by both teams. Ipswich will now turn their attention to their FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers, while Fulham will face Watford in the same competition.
Match Stats:
- Possession: Fulham 73%-27% Ipswich
- Shots: Fulham 15-7 Ipswich
- Shots on target: Fulham 4-3 Ipswich
- Corners: Fulham 9-2 Ipswich
- Fouls: Fulham 10-14 Ipswich
Upcoming Fixtures:
- Fulham will face Watford in the FA Cup on January 9
- Ipswich will face Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup on January 12
- Fulham will face West Ham United in the Premier League on January 14
- Ipswich will face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on January 16
