Ipswich Town 1 Southampton 2: Paul Onuachu gobbles up late chance to condemn Kieran Mckenna’s side to damaging home defeat to relegation rivals
Ipswich Town’s players and supporters were left facing up to the unthinkable outcome of a home defeat to basement dwellers Southampton after Paul Onuachu’s follow-up shot in the 87th minute condemed Kieran McKenna’s side to a 2-1 defeat.
It had been a half they had looked well in control of against their Premier League relegation rivals, but a failure to turn their time in their opponents’ half into anything tangible, following Liam Delap’s 31st minute equaliser from Joe Aribo’s volley 10 minutes earlier, ultimately proved costly.
It was a raid down the Blues’ left-hand side which brought the clincher for Saints’ first away league win of the season and only their second of the campaign, with substitute Kamaldeen Sulemana’s initial low effort spilled out by the returning Aro Muric with Nigeria Onuachu’s long leg prodding it home.
The Blues were disappointingly unable to mount a response, failing to register a shot despite eight added minutes being played as the gap between the two sides reduced to seven points.
And the gap to safety then increased from one to three points after Wolverhampton Wanderers went on to beat visiting Aston Villa 2-0 in the 5.30pm kick-off, which followed Leicester City losing 4-0 at Everton as The Toffees move above Tottenham Hotspur into 16th.
McKenna’s line-up showed four changes from the 4-1 defeat at Liverpool with two injury-enforced as Aro Muric came back in between the posts for Christian Walton (groin) while recent loan signing Julio Enciso came in for Wes Burns (ACL), with Omari Hutchinson moving out to the right-hand side.
Nathan Broadhead, for Jaden Philogene, and Jens Cajuste, for Kavlin Phillips, were the others.
Southampton boss Ivan Jurics handed debuts to January signings Welington, a Brazilian left-back, and Danish international midfielder Albert Gronbaek, while England keeper Aaron Ramsdale came back in goal with ex-Blues loanee Alex McCarthy dropping to the bench.
There was no place in the squad for Town academy product Flynn Downes who had recently lost his starting place to Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu while Tyler Dibling started on the bench following injury.
It was Paraguayan international Enciso, who signed on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion last week ahead of a lively cameo at Liverpool, who was at the forefront of Town’s promising start. He saw an early shot deflected out for a corner before, on 10 minutes, dispossessing Ugochukwu and forcing Ramsdale into a low save.
But it was the Saints, who had looked nervy in the opening stages with several mis-placed passes, who took the lead in the 21st minute from what was their first attack.
Town failed to deal with a goal kick which saw the ball played out to Kyle Walker-Peters down the right who found Mateus Fernandes before his cross flicked up off the heel of Jacob Greaves before Aribo met it with a volley that went in down the centre of Muric’s goal.
Delap flicked a Broadhead downward header wide of the target as Town looked for a quick response.
On the half-hour mark a strong appeal for a home penalty, after Leif Davis’ cross appeared to come back off the out-stretched arm of Kyle Walker-Peters, was turned down by referee Michael Oliver.
Within a minute the frustration of Town’s players had subsided as they celebrated drawing level. As the Blues broke out of a Saints attack via Hutchinson, Nathan Broadhead nudged the ball cleverly from just inside his half through the middle for Delap to bear down on goal and, after avoiding Jan Bednarek’s sliding challenge, he coolly slotted under Ramsdale for his ninth of the season.
Town almost took the lead a couple of minutes later when Delap played Broadhead in down the left in a role reversal but Ramsdale stood up well to make the save with the Welsh international unable to make anything from picking up the loose ball from a tight angle.
Saints got down the left-hand side with Welington’s cross met by the head of Paul Onuachu but it was comfortable for Muric to claim.
Enciso curled a low free kick into the side-netting after Welington brought down Axel Tunazebe to become the first name to be taken by Oliver.
Hutchinson’s shot, after cutting inside dangerously from Sam Morsy’s pass, found the arms of a grateful Ramsdale behind it as three minutes of additional time were signalled.
In the second, Town almost had their second as Hutchinson’s cross found Broadhead well-placed in the centre of the area and after he turned smartly his shot was blocked by the covering defenders.
Southampton made a change at the break with Jack Stephens replacing the injured Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
After some early Town pressure, Delap went down under the challenge of Jan Bednarek in the penalty area clutching his face as he went to turn him but the referee waved played on before the passage ended with Cajuste firing well over from outside the box.
Stephens’ brief return to action was over in the 56th minute as injury forced him off with Will Smallbone his replacement.
Enciso, who had continued to look lively, went close to putting the hosts ahead a few minutes later when a long throw was headed on by Greaves before Delap touched it off with the Paraguayan’s spearing volley spinning just off the wrong side of the top left-hand corner.
Town broke well from defending a corner with the ball worked into the box for Broadhead who was unable to get it under control.
It was to be the latter’s last involvement with Philogene coming on in the 62nd minute ahead of Delap soon working some room on the fringe of the area only to scuff his shot horribly wide.
But after muscling his way past a defender to create his next effort, on a run down the side of the area, his low shot was parried away by Ramsdale.
Delap continued to be in the thick of the acton with a heavy challenge by Bednarek just outside the area, following a Morsy free kick, seeing the referee play advantage with Enciso scuffing his effort from a good position at the keeper.
Saints skipper Bednarek was finally booked for his next wrestle with Delap that left the Town man floored with Davis’ free kick, from around 22 yards out, coming back off the wall.
With the Blues continuing to bang on the door, McKenna brought on Jack Taylor for Cajuste as the game entered the final 13 minutes of normal time, with the home crowd booing another injury stoppage as Ramsdale went down.
A Saints breakaway saw sub Kamaldeen Sulemana get down the side of Town’s area but Tuanzebe did well to stand him up.
But the visitors stunned the hosts by re-taking the lead, which had looked highly unlikely, in the 87th minute. Sub Sulemana cut in off the left-hand side, turning past Morsy with Muric only able to spill out his low effort with Onuachu flying in ahead of Jacob Greaves to ram it into the net.
McKenna reacted by bringing Jack Clarke on for Davis followed shortly after by George Hirst for Enciso, just before eight additional minutes were signalled to a roar back from the home crowd as they looked to gee their side up for a comeback.
But that extra-time, unlike in their previous two meetings with the Saints, passed without Town being able to muster another effort on Ramsdale’s goal as the Blues suffered a damaging home defeat to their relegation rivals.
Town now have a break from league action as they look to boune back at Championship Coventry City in the Emirates FA Cup fourth round next Saturday (3pm), with their Premier League retun continuing with weekend games at Aston Villa followed by Spurs at home.
Ipswich: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis (J, Clarke 88’), Morsy (cpt), Cajuste (Taylor 77’), Hutchinson, Enciso (89’), Broadhead (Philogene 62’), Delap.
Unused subs: Slicker, Johnson, Godfrey, Townsend, Phillips.
Booked: None.
Southampton: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis (Stephens 46’, Smallbone 56’’), Aribo, Bree, Fernandes, Ugochukwu (Lallana 81’), Gronbaek (Sulemana 70’), Onuachu, Welington (Sugawara 81’), Bednarek (cpt).
Unused subs: McCarthy, Armstrong, Dibling, Bella-Kotchap.
Booked: Welington (40’), Bednarek (75’).
Referee: Michael Oliver (Ashington).
VAR: Jarred Gillett.
Attendance: 29,902 (2,961 away)
Suffolk News Man of the Match: Liam Delap. Gave everything to the cause once again and took his goal well to help his side respond to the first-half setback.
