Match report: Ipswich Town 0 Norwich City 1 – East Anglian derby misery continues
James Maddison fires Norwich into the lead despite the efforts of Luke Chambers to block his shot. PICTURE: STEVE WALLER WWW.STEPHENWALLER.COM - Credit: Picture: Steve Waller
Ipswich Town’s misery in the East Anglian derby continued with a 1-0 defeat to Norwich City at Portman Road this lunchtime.
James Maddison’s 59th minute finish proved the difference as the Blues’ wait for a win against their rivals was extended to nine matches over almost nine years (three draws, six defeats).
Town were eight points clear of Norwich not so long ago. They are now four points behind. Mick McCarthy’s men have lost seven of their last nine in all competitions to drop to 11th in the Championship table, while the Canaries are up to sixth after an unbeaten nine-game run.
Town started with intensity and Jonas Knudsen hit the post in the fifth minute.
David McGoldrick missed a gilt-edged chance five minutes before the break when putting an unmarked header over from six yards out, then glanced a diving header just wide five minutes after the restart.
They were left to rue those missed chances.
Town had looked vulnerable down their right side all game, so it was no surprise when City’s breakthrough came when the ball was worked inside from the left for Maddison to stroke home in acres of space. It was a soft goal to concede.
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A comeback never looked likely after that as the organised visitors – who have conceded just three goals during a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions – squeezed the life out of the game.
The atmosphere among a bumper 25,000 crowd went flat, the game drifted and Ipswich didn’t produce their first shot on target of the game until the 83rd minute.
Martyn Waghorn sent a cheeky chip just over the bar in stopppage-time, but there was to be no Suffolk punch.
IPSWICH TOWN (4-3-3): Bialkowski; Spence, Webster, Chambers (cpt), Knudsen; Skuse, Adeyemi (Downes 67), Nydam (Sears 77); Waghorn, McGoldrick, Garner (Celina 77).
Unused subs: Gerken, Iorfa, Connolly, Ward.
NORWICH CITY (4-2-3-1): Gunn; Pinto (cpt), Zimmermann (Hanley 65), Klose, Stiepermann; Trybull, Reed; Wildschut, Maddison (Vrancic 88), Hoolahan (Husband 78); Jerome.
Unused subs: McGovern, Oliveira, Murphy, Franke.
Attendance: 24,928 (2,009 away)
Referee: Tim Robinson
