Ipswich Town 2-0 Chelsea: Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson goals see Kieran McKenna’s side to long-awaited first home Premier League win to end 2024 in style
Ipswich Town ended 2024 in perfect fashion at Portman Road by scoring an unanswered goal in each half against high-flying Chelsea to finally record their first home Premier League win at the 10th attempt.
But this one was certainly worth the wait for those lucky enough to have been inside what was the perfect late Christmas present from Kieran McKenna’s rotated side with Liam Delap’s 12th-minute penalty followed up by Omari Hutchinson’s precise low finish eight minutes after the interval.
The latter, against his former club, was set up by Delap himself who forced Filip Jorgensen into a series of saves throughout a frenetic and absorbing contest.
Up the other end, the hero in the Town goal was surprise selection Christian Walton, who returned for the first time since the first week of the season, having covered for the injured Aro Muric for the Premier League opener against Liverpool. The latter was on the bench, with McKenna later revealing he has been playing through ‘a small thigh isue’ with Walton’s impressive training displays having led to his ‘deserved opportunity.
And it certainly paid dividends as the former Brighton shot-stopper may a superb one-handed tip onto his crossbar to deny Cole Palmer towards the end of the first half.
The first home victory in the Premier League since April, 2002 (against Middlesbrough) was a first win in three matches for the Blues to move them up a place to 18th in the table and a point from safety at the halfway mark. It was also a first win in 11 against Chelsea, the last top-flight victory having come back in August, 1993.
Enzo Maresca’s side could have ended the 19-game mark in second place but as it was end the year in fourth and 11 points back from leaders Liverpool.
With two games so close together, both managers opted to ring the changes with no less than nine changes between them, including goalkeepers on both sides.
There were four for McKenna from Friday night’s 1-0 defeat at Arsenal, with captain Sam Morsy back from suspension in place of Kalvin Phillips while Wes Burns, for Ben Johnson, and Nathan Broadhead for his first Premier League start, for Sammie Szmodics came alongside Walton replacing Muric. Harry Clarke was the one to drop out of the 20-man squad.
Maresca went with five from Thursday’s last-gasp 2-1 defeat at home to west London rivals Fulham with Filip Jorgensen coming in for Robert Sanchez between the posts while other changes saw England international Noni Madueke start along with Jao Felix, Christopher Nkunku and Axel Disasi. The outfield players making way were Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto who all dropped to the bench which also included captain Reece James.
Town made a lively start with Broadhead seeing a fourth-minute sweeping shot from Omari Hutchinson’s pull-back blocked by Tosin Adarabiyo’s foot before Burns soon fired over on the angle from outside the box.
And after soaking up a couple of Chelsea forays forward, the hosts earned themselves a penalty in the 10th minute when Leif Davis dissected the Chelsea defence with a low pass into the area to find the run of Delap who took a touch round keeper Jorgensen before the Dane’s trailing leg knocked him off balance. It was only a slight touch but was enough for VAR to not overturn referee John Brooks’ decision.
The summer signing from Manchester City dusted himself off to take what was his side’s first spot kick of the season, with one against Everton against Jack Clarke having been over-ruled by VAR, himself and duly tucked it powerfully beyond Jorgensen’s reach into the bottom left-hand corner for his seventh of the campaign.
Delap almost doubled his side’s advantage within two two minutes, bursting on to a deflected Marc Cucurella clearance before seeing his powerful half volley kept out by a fine low diving save by the Dane.
Chelsea came within a lick of paint of an equaliser midway through the half with Fernandez laying off a 25-yard free kick off to Cole Palmer who saw his curling effort come back off the left-hand post before Walton was well placed to save Nkunku’s less-than-convincing follow-up effort.
Maresca’s team thought they had drawn level in the 24th minute when a deep right-sided Palmer cross found the run of Felix to lift into the roof of the net at the far post. But after a lengthy VAR check, seemingly due to not being able to ascertain where Morsy’s foot came down, despite replays seeming to show it was clearly offside, it was finally chalked off to the home fans’ delight a they celebrated it like a goal for their side.
The visitors’ pressure continued with Cucurella sending an arrowing effort well wide after a Felix shot came back off Woolfenden before Moises Caicedo fired over from the fringe of the area after Davis passed inexplicably straight into his path. Palmer, who was causing real problems in the pockets of space he was managing to find, then set up Felix in a similar position soon after with the Portugese’s tame shot straight at Walton.
A breakaway from a great diagonal pass from Broadhead saw Town go close to a second as Delap ran in on goal before seeing a fierce effort turned around his near post by Jorgensen.
Greaves made a good block from Fernandez from Cucurella’s lay-off before, in the first of five minutes of stoppage time Walton came to Town’s rescue by springing to his left to push a curling Palmer effort from the fringe of the area up and over via his crossbar before seeing with his team-mates rushing to congratulate him.
Felix then headed wide to end the half to roars from the home crowd who now really believed this could be the one they had been waiting for.
The second half was less than two minutes old when Felix was picked out unmarked from Fernandez’s clipped cross with Burns heading off the line from inside Walton’s right-hand post.
The Town keeper was quickly called into action to save with his legs at the near-post from Madueke who had burst onto Disasi’s pass while the subsequent corner was scrambled away by Woolfenden before the keeper confidently came to pluck the second Palmer delivery out of the air.
But the Suffolk side doubled their advantage from their first attack of the half in the 53rd minute. Delap burst onto Disasi's misplaced pass, carrying well into the area before turning inside Adarabioyo before finding Hutchinson who took a touch out of his feet before firing through a gap to fire low inside the right-hand post. He marked the moment against his former club with a trademark backflip celebration for what was his second goal of the campaign.
Disasi let rip with a wild shot over the bar as the visitors looked for a quick response drawing cheers from the home crowd.
Shortly after the hour mark, more bustling centre-forward play from Delap saw him create space for another shot with this one sailing comfortably off target.
Broadhead drew a low save from Jorgensen, which proved to near to him and lacked power, after good work down the left from Davis as the noise inside Portman Road cranked up again to the former’s catchy chant.
Chelsea appealed for a penalty for handball off Mandueke’s shot deflected off Davis up onto Jacob Greave’s arm which was close to his body with the referee waving it away immediately.
Delap drew a near-post save out of Jorgensen after a great run down the right before three straight corners followed with Broadhead’s second phase effort coming off Madueke into the grateful keeper’s hands.
The visitors burst through up the other end with Caicedo getting behind the defence only to slot wide of the right-hand post from the edge of the area before seeing the offside flag raised.
McKenna made his first substitutions in the 78th minute with Szmodics and Phillips replacing Broadhead and Cajuste.
Town soaking up any pressure Chelsea were exerting well while also offering plenty for the visitors to think about on the break as the game entered its final five regulation minutes.
Davis and Gusto were both booked for squaring up to each other following the former having the ball ripped from his hands after being knocked down while Levi Colwill also had his name taken.
Five minutes of added time were signalled with large cheers going up as Fernandez blasted over from the edge of the area before a double change - with Jack Taylor and Ali Al-Hamadi replacing Hutchinson and Delap - saw both departing players leave the field to a standing ovation.
And Walton’s goal went untroubled as Town held their defensive shape well before the final whistle the crowd were pleading desperately for finally arrived to begin the celebrations in the stands and on the pitch with the changed keeper himself taking up the Harry Clarke winning fist-pump role in front of the Sir Bobby Robosn Stand in a glorious moment bursting with emotion.
A first game of 2025 comes at Fulham’s Craven Cottage in six days’ time on Sunday (2pm) as they look to collect points against another west London outfit.
Ipswich Town: Walton, Burns (Johnson 86’), O’Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste (Phillips 78’), Hutchinson, Broadhead (Szmodics 78’), Delap.
Unused subs: Muric, Townsend, Taylor, Chaplin, J Clarke, Al-Hamadi.
Booked: O’Shea (32’), Delap (83’), Davis (87’).
Chelsea: Jorgensen, Disasi (Gusto 78’), Cucurella, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Fernandez (c), Madueke Neto (78’), Felix (Jackson 55’), Nkunku (Sancho 65’), Palmer, Caicedo.
Unused subs: Sanchez, James, Acheampong, Guiu, Veiga.
Booked: Caicedo (67’), .
Referee: John Brooks (Leicestershire).
VAR: Michael Oliver.
Attendance: 29,968 (3,000 away)
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