Ipswich Town beat Birmingham City 3-1 in a Championship clash yesterday afternoon. Stuart Watson reflects on the action.
FRONT FOOT START
After digging deep on a muddy pitch at Swansea, then fighting physical duels all game against Rotherham, could the Blues find the energy reserves to go again for a fifth game in 15 days? The answer to that question was an emphatic yes.
Following that nervy 4-3 home win against the Millers there had been a lot of talk about Town conceding first in the game again, never getting much control in a game of chaos and the atmosphere becoming edgy inside Portman Road.
Kieran McKenna insisted lessons would have to be learned. Four days on, his side started on the front foot to really set the tone.
At the end of a rousing minute's applause in support of Birmingham boss Tony Mowbray, absent following recent surgery, Wes Burns' sweeping cross was taken off the toes of Kieffer Moore at the back post. It was an almost carbon copy of Town's slick second goal in midweek.
The Blues continued to work dangerous openings in the final third through well-rehearsed patterns of play and an aggressive high press. All that was missing was the final pass/cross/shot.
Would not capitalising on an utterly dominant opening 20 minutes prove costly? That was my fear as Birmingham threatened to find a foothold in the game as the half hour mark approached.
CHEEKY CHAPPERS
Conor Chaplin hadn't connected cleanly with a shot from the heart of the box, following a trademark Leif Davis pass inside, and had stuck an unmarked stooping header too close to keeper John Ruddy at a corner.
The great thing about Town's No.10 is that he never stops getting in the right positions.
Sam Morsy's effort from 25 yards out wasn't the most powerful or accurate, but Chaplin, with his back to goal, reacted superbly to divert the ball in with an inventive flick off the inside of his trailing heel.
On first viewing it looked like he was offside, but replays showed he was level with the last defender as the shot was hit. We're quick to criticise officials when they get things wrong, so credit to the linesman for getting that tight call right.
Chaplin is now on 11 goals for the season, level with Nathan Broadhead. It's no coincidence that Town's two deep-lying forwards have started getting more chances and hitting the net more regularly since Kieffer Moore arrived to give the top line more presence.
BLOW BEFORE BREAK
Just as Ipswich fans were wondering how their team was heading into the break only one goal up, Birmingham broke away on the counter to make it 1-1.
Following Chaplin's headed knock down in the final third, Broadhead couldn't quite get the ball under control and the visitors broke at speed. The lively Koji Miyoshi cut the ball back through Massimo Luongo's legs down the right side and Jordan James arrived to smash high into the net. Chaplin, having bust a gut to get back, probably should have got himself ball side in the box.
Straight from the restart, Town launched an attack. Broadhead, having done the hard part with a nice feint in the box, fired into the side-netting.
The way the first period ended could easily have knocked the stuffing out of the home players and crowd.
STAYING PATIENT
Town had a decent shout for a penalty turned down seven minutes after the restart when Andre Dozzell, back at his hometown club, bundled into Chaplin from behind as a corner entered the box.
Sensing Ipswich were growing in confidence, Birmingham interim boss Mark Venus switched from 4-2-3-1 system to a more solid 4-1-4-1. The playmaking ability of Dozzell was sacrificed. Ivan Sunjic shielded the back four, Leandro Bacuna and the repurposed James went man-to-man on Morsy and Luongo. Siriki Demeble, also on as part of a triple change, went wide left.
Secure through the middle and with pacey outlets on the flanks, Birmingham were now not only proving harder to break down but also posing the odd threat on the breakaway. There was major potential for frustration to build on and off the pitch.
Ipswich, however, refused to panic and continued to stick to their game.
SUBS STRIKE
The bad news is that Wes Burns and Nathan Broadhead were both forced off in this game with a calf strain and thigh strain respectively.
The good news is that their replacements, Omari Hutchinson and Jeremy Sarmiento, both scored late on as Ipswich secured the three points their performance very much deserved.
Hutchinson was involved in the build-up when Town restored their lead in the 81st minute. He showed great awareness to find the overlapping Axel Tuanzebe in the box, with the marauding right-back doing equally well to pick out Sarmiento for a simple finish on the edge of the six-yard box.
Chelsea loanee Hutchinson produced a sliding interception tight to the touchline and also penned Ethan Laird by the corner flag to big cheers as Ipswich clicked into game management mode. Sarmiento smart won a foul on the halfway line too.
Birmingham replaced defender Dion Sanderson with striker Lukas Jutkiewicz in a desperate attempt to salvage something at the death, but Ipswich ruthlessly exploited the extra space at the back. After Tuanzebe's throw up the line was flicked on by Moore, Hutchinson raced clear and coolly slotted home before producing his trademark somersault celebration.
It was the second time in five days that the 20-year-old had scored a stoppage-time goal at Portman Road. He's now got six for the season, despite only starting 14 games.
Ipswich have scored 80 goals across all competitions this season and 20 of them have been bagged by subs. Seven times now, a goal has been scored in the 90th minute or beyond. That speaks volumes of the all for one and one for all spirit in the group.
AWESOME AXEL
Harry Clarke was only passed fit enough for the bench after suffering a severe dead leg against Rotherham. With the Brandon Williams will-he-won't-he return from Manchester United saga dragging on, and Janoi Donacien still sidelined following groin surgery, that meant Axel Tuanzebe started at right-back.
The 26-year-old, who has played very little football over the last two years, had looked very rusty when coming on in the difficult latter stages against Rotherham. Some will therefore have had fears before kick-off that he might prove to be a weak link in this game. In the end, he was deservedly named Man of the Match.
As mentioned, Tuanzebe had a hand in the two late goals. Defensively, he was rock solid too. There was one moment where he did brilliantly to keep pace with, and then dispossess, fresh sub Siriki Dembele in the box. All aspects of his game were so assured.
Right-back isn't a role that's alien to the athletic defender. He actually made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in that position, marking Alexis Sanchez.
Knowing there's a viable alternative to Clarke for this run-in is certainly reassuring.
TABLE TALK
That's four league wins on the spin for Ipswich Town for the fourth time this season.
McKenna's newly-promoted side remain refuse to go away in this high-quality automatic promotion battle with three recent Premier League stalwarts.
They're now just six points behind leaders Leicester, only trail second-place Leeds on goal difference and have opened up a five point lead over fourth-place Southampton. The latter have now lost three of their last four games. Ipswich, as a reminder, have lost just four league games all season (two less than anyone else).
With 12 games still to play, the Blues have 72 points on the board. That would have been enough to finish fifth last season.
Two more wins will see the points total achieved by Mick McCarthy's play-off side of 2014/15 equalled (78). Four more wins will see the total posted by John Lyall's title-winning team of '92 matched (84). Five more wins would bring up the number hit by George Burley's promotion side of 2000 (87).
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