Chelsea stumble again in Champions League hunt with 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town
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Chelsea's Jadon Sancho scoring the equaliser in their 2-2 English Premier League draw with Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge on April 13.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Relegation-bound Ipswich Town held Chelsea to a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on April 13, leaving the hosts looking over their shoulders in their push for a lucrative spot in next season’s Champions League.
The visitors stunned Enzo Maresca’s men, who had won their previous five home Premier League games, when they raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Despite being pinned in their half for the early stages, Ipswich’s Paraguayan striker Julio Enciso nipped in between Chelsea’s defenders to steer home a cross by right-back Ben Johnson in the 19th minute.
Twelve minutes later, Enciso repaid the favour, crossing for Johnson to head home and Chelsea struggled to revive their momentum, prompting loud boos from the home fans at the half-time whistle.
An own goal by Axel Tuanzebe immediately after the break gave Chelsea hope and substitute Jadon Sancho curled a shot into the top corner in the 79th minute, setting up a frantic finale when both sides came close to snatching a winner.
Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer saved a Trevoh Chalobah effort at point-blank range in the 85th minute, before denying Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer in added time.
Said Chelsea manager Maresca: “We started well and created chances. They scored the first goal and it completely changed the dynamic of the game. For 20-25 minutes, we were not good enough and conceded two goals.
“Then in the second-half we were back in the game. It’s tough because even in the first 20 minutes, at this stage of the season, if you are not able to score the first one then the game completely changes...
“I think we lost confidence because we conceded because of the environment. Our goalkeeper plays short and then he goes long for the second goal because of the environment.”
The draw pushed Chelsea into the last of the five Champions League spots, but they are only one point ahead of Newcastle United, who played Manchester United later and have a further game in hand.
Ipswich remained in 18th place and are almost certain to return to the second tier next season. They are 14 points adrift of West Ham United, who are just outside the bottom three, with only six games left.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are level on 35 points with the Hammers, but ahead on goal difference after defeating Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 for their fourth Premier League win in a row.
Spurs are two points ahead of Wolves in 15th after an error-strewn performance saw them fall to a fourth defeat in their last six Premier League games, deepening manager Ange Postecoglou’s crisis.
Said Postecoglou: “The goals we conceded weren’t lapses, they were just individual errors which, like I said, is unusual for us to give goals away like that. But that’s what happened, we got punished today and it makes it very difficult to get an outcome.”
A poor punched clearance by Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario led to Rayan Ait-Nouri’s opener for Wolves after 85 seconds, and the goalkeeper was at fault again in the 38th minute as he pushed Marshall Munetsi’s glancing header onto Djed Spence, with the ball bouncing off the Spurs defender into the net.
The visitors pulled a goal back through Mathys Tel in the 59th minute but conceded again five minutes later after an error by Cristian Romero led to Jorgen Strand Larsen’s goal.
Although substitute Richarlison netted with a close-range header, Lucas Bergvall then gave the ball away and substitute Matheus Cunha, returning from a four-match ban, made it 4-2. REUTERS
