Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna hailed debutant goalkeeper Alex Palmer after his heroic performance in the 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.

Palmer, a deadline-day signing from Championship club West Brom, played in the top tier for the first time at the age of 28 and it was worth the wait as the 10 men of Ipswich held on for a valuable point.

He made a string of saves, including a last-gasp wonder stop, to keep Villa at bay after Liam Delap’s opener had been cancelled out by Ollie Watkins’ leveller.

Ipswich had to play for over 50 minutes with 10 men after Axel Tuanzebe was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half.

McKenna said of his goalkeeper: “It’s a brilliant day for him. I think it’s always worth taking stock.

“I’m not sure how many we’ve had, but we’re in the high teens for Premier League debuts. And every player who makes one is a hell of a story and a hell of a journey.

“And Alex is another player, certainly he’s had to work his way to this point.

“So making a Premier League debut at 28 after all the loans and everything that he’s done in his journey, and then to do it back in the midlands and to perform like he did, make some of the saves that he did, and to end up helping the team get a point – it’s a great day for him and a great start for us.

“He’s worked his way up, done the hard yards to get to the Premier League. He’s got his opportunity now and he certainly took it today.

“We needed to strengthen the department and Alex has different qualities and is in a good rhythm.

“He’s played almost every minute of the last couple of seasons. So to bring in a goalkeeper who’s in match rhythm and confident at this stage of the season, and he’s played with two of the back four today as well, is pretty good business.”

Villa will see this as two points dropped in their bid to qualify for the Champions League again.

Boss Unai Emery threw Marcus Rashford on at half-time and the Manchester United loanee was involved in the equaliser as his free-kick cannoned into the crossbar for Watkins to score the rebound.

“He is getting better. He was feeling comfortable as well today, 45 minutes, and he will help us for the next matches,” Emery said.

On the result, the Spaniard added: “After the sending-off the match changed completely.

“After the situation we were controlling more, creating chances. They scored a fantastic goal and then to come back was more difficult.

His dismissal came between Ollie Watkins missing a big chance to break the deadlock and Morgan Rogers seeing an effort cleared off the line.

Rogers thought he should have been awarded a free-kick early on when Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer rushed off his line in a bid to win the ball, but after Rogers won that race he fell over claiming there was contact.

Nothing was given, but the Tractor Boys still played the majority of the game at a numerical disadvantage. Not long after Rogers’ appeals were turned down, Boubacar Kamara signalled to come off in the 16th minute and was replaced by Tyrone Mings.

Marcus Rashford was introduced for the start of the second half, replacing Jacob Ramsey, as Lucas Digne made way for Ian Maatsen.

But it was Ipswich who broke the deadlock just before the hour mark when Liam Delap turned in Omari Hutchinson’s cross from the right.

Manchester United loanee Rashford then rattled the bar from a free-kick and the ball fell for Watkins to convert on the rebound with just over 20 minutes left to play.

After missing a golden chance to put Villa ahead in the 73rd minute, Palmer denied Marco Asensio not long after as the Spaniard made a strong impact off the bench.

Villa are next in action on Wednesday night when host league leaders Liverpool (7:30pm kick-off).

Player ratings

Emi Martinez

Martinez was hoping to keep his fourth league clean sheet of the season, but was beaten by an excellent finish from Delap in the second half. 6

Andres Garcia

After impressing in the win over Tottenham, Garcia was handed his third start in a row and his first in a home league game. He made up the numbers well when Villa attacked and delivered crosses into dangerous areas. 6

Axel Disasi

Disasi made his debut for Villa this afternoon after joining on loan from Chelsea earlier this month. He battled well with Delap for the most part, but was beaten to the ball in the box when it mattered most as the striker opened the scoring as a result. Disasi used the ball well, creating Villa’s first big chance of the game before Watkins then put the ball wide. 6

Boubacar Kamara

Mings returned to the squad for this afternoon’s game, but Emery opted to keep Kamara in the backline. Unfortunately, Kamara didn’t last 20 minutes as he signalled to come off. N/A

Lucas Digne

The left-back made his 22nd league start of the campaign, but was subbed off at the break. 6

Youri Tielemans

Tielemans is the only outfield player to start each of Villa’s 25 league games this season. Ipswich’s red card limited his ability to pick the lock, but he was still the glue in midfield and helped Villa sustain pressure. 7

John McGinn

On the back of a tremendous showing against Tottenham last weekend, McGinn stayed in the double pivot alongside Tielemans. He was unfairly penalised when he was too strong for opponents in duels. It was another impressive showing from the skipper this afternoon. 7

Donyell Malen

Malen kept his place in the starting XI, but moved out wide to accommodate Watkins’ return from injury. He found space to attack in the first half and looked confident as he got shots off at goal, but they were blocked. 6

Morgan Rogers

Rogers had scored eight goals in his last eight appearances at Villa Park coming into the game, so he was full of confidence. Tuanzebe picked up his first yellow card after fouling Rogers early on as the former Villa man and his Ipswich defenders struggled to deal with the forward’s physicality. Rogers saw an effort cleared off the line just before half-time. 7

Jacob Ramsey

Ramsey came into the game having scored twice in his last three appearances in all competitions. He linked play well and was effective in pockets of space in the first half. Replaced by Rashford at the interval. 6

After equalising for Villa, Watkins has now been directly involved in 11 goals in his last seven league starts against promoted opposition. He missed a great chance to put Villa ahead in the first half when he went through and poked the ball wide as he was off balance. Right place at the right time to level up. 7

SUBS

Tyrone Mings (for Kamara, 16′): Mings wrestled with Delap and was constantly talking with Disasi and his teammates as Villa looked to reverse their deficit. 6

Marcus Rashford for (for Ramsey, 45′): The forward was out to make an instant impact as he called Palmer into action by firing an effort towards the far corner from the edge of the box. His free-kick rattled the bar before Watkins tapped in the rebound to restore parity. 7

Ian Maatsen (for Digne, 45′): Maatsen was lively in attack, but could have done more to prevent Hutchinson from putting the ball in the box, which allowed Delap to score. 6

Marco Asensio (for Malen, 63′): The Spaniard created chances and linked play effectively after coming on, but he missed a golden chance to put Villa ahead in the 73rd minute. He was involved in most of Villa’s dangerous attacks late on. 7

Manchester United have been linked with a summer move for Liam Delap, who has continued to impress at Ipswich Town, and the player insists he’s more than happy where he isLiam Delap has been a standout for Ipswich – and has several admirers as a result (

Liam Delap insists he’s solely focused on Ipswich Town amid links with a move to Manchester United.

The forward has excelled with the Tractor Boys despite their struggles in the Premier League. He left Manchester City in a permanent move back in the summer and has led the line impressively at Portman Road and that has attracted attention from some of the country’s top sides.

The Red Devils are set to pursue either Benjamin Sesko or Delap in the summer with a deal for Viktor Gyokeres now thought to be out of reach. When Ruben Amorim arrived a move for Gyokeres, who flourished under the Portuguese coach at Sporting Lisbon, seemed inevitable.

However a reunion now appears unlikely despite the Swede being set to leave Sporting this summer. The club are ready to cash in on their forward, but The Athletic reports that Gyokeres wants to join a club who can offer him Champions League football next year.

A focus on younger targets is likely to see Sesko and Delap come into play for those on the red half of Manchester but the Ipswich man has his mind on ensuring Ipswich remain a top flight outfit.

He told the East Anglian Daily Times : “It’s engrained in us as footballers. It’s so important, especially for me, to focus on where I’m at now. I’m so happy here, I’m enjoying it so much here. I just look forward to playing football. I take every game as it comes and focus on the next.

“It is something that I try and stay away from. People around me have told me to stay away from it, it’s something that I’m very good at in focusing on what I want to do. That’s playing football here. I’m really enjoying my time here and I enjoy playing every week. That’s the most important thing.

Man Utd may struggle to secure a deal for Viktor Gyokeres (

Getty Images)“We know, as players and people, that there is noise. If we have a bad game and people are slating us for not performing or getting the right results, we stay focused on ourselves and what we have to achieve.”

Sesko meanwhile is a target for Arsenal – and they may go after the RB Leipzig man if they cannot secure a deal for Alexander Isak. The Slovenian has excelled in Germany and has been on the Manchester radar in the past, leading to a potential summer scrap for the player.

Delap’s future meanwhile may well rest on whether or not Ipswich remain in the top flight. He has shown himself to a top flight quality, scoring nine times, and the Tractor Boys may have to cash in if they’re relegated.

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After a rough few weeks, Ipswich Town got back to winning ways last weekend.

It may have only been Coventry City in the FA Cup, but Kieran McKenna’s side didn’t just win, they blew the Championship side away, winning 4-1.

It was the sort of performance that should get the team in the right headspace going into this afternoon’s Premier League clash away to Aston Villa.

The Claret and Blue will be a far more formidable challenge, but the Tractor Boys have already shown that they can go toe-to-toe with Unai Emery’s men, and to ensure they have the best chance of getting something from today, McKenna has to unleash his answer to the Villans’ new star, Marcus Rashford.

Ipswich’s record against Villa

Since their first meeting all the way back in January 1939, Ipswich have played Villa 62 times across all competitions, winning 20, drawing 16 and losing 26.

However, the bad news for the Tractor Boys is that while their overall record against the Villans isn’t too bad, they have not fared so well across their last ten meetings, losing five games, drawing four and winning just one, which was back in February 2017.

That said, if their last encounter is anything to go by, then the Suffolk side should go into this afternoon’s game confident in their ability to get a result, as when the Claret and Blue came to Portman Road back in September they were held to a 2-2 draw.

Moreover, McKenna’s side were the better team on the day, racking up an expected goals figure of 1.18 to their 0.82, crafting four big chances to their two, having ten corners to when they had none and taking 15 shots to their seven.

However, Emery has made a number of additions to his squad since then, with Rashford the most noteworthy of the lot, although McKenna already has his answer to the 27-year-old.

McKenna’s answer to Rashford

Following the win against Coventry last week, McKenna has a number of inform goalscorers he can choose from ahead of this afternoon’s game, but there is only one player who could arguably be described as his answer to Rashford: Liam Delap.

Now, before the pitchforks come out, there are a few reasons for this comparison, the first of which being that both players have moved to their new sides this season after it was clear they were not going to get any game time for their respective Manchester clubs.

The second similarity is the fact that they are both English forwards who can operate down the middle of a front three, as while the Villa loanee has historically preferred being on the left, he is more than capable of playing centrally.

Finally, when they are at their best, both players can be devastating in front of goal.

Granted, it’s been a couple of years since the Manchester-born star had his incredible season in which he scored 30 goals and provided 9 assists in 56 games, but the fact he managed to do that once suggests that in the right environment, he could do something similar once again.

In Delap’s case, we are seeing how effective he can be this season, as in just 25 appearances, totalling 1806 minutes, the 22-year-old “one-man battering ram,” as dubbed by Opta Analyst, has scored nine goals and provided two assists.

That means the Winchester-born dynamo is averaging a goal involvement every 2.27 games, or 164.18 minutes.

Ultimately, while it’s going to be an extremely tough test, Ipswich have what it takes to get a result at Villa Park this afternoon, especially with a player as gifted as Delap in their side.

It is fair to say that the summer departure of winger Jack Clarke to Ipswich Town has not been as damaging as many Sunderland supporters had feared.

After months of speculation over his future, Clarke made the move to Ipswich in August for an initial fee of £15 million, plus £5 million in potential add-ons, and given his importance to Sunderland over the past few years, his exit looked like a major blow for the Wearside outfit.

However, despite losing Clarke, the Black Cats have emerged as surprise automatic promotion contenders in the Championship this season under the guidance of Regis Le Bris, and it could even be argued that the club have found an upgrade in Enzo Le Fee, who arrived on loan from Roma in January.

While Sunderland have not been adversely affected by Clarke’s departure, the winger will always have a special place in the hearts of supporters, and we looked at how he is getting on at Ipswich.

Clarke struggled to make an impact at Tottenham Hotspur after joining the Premier League side for a fee in the region of £10 million in the summer of 2019, and it looked as though his career was at something of a crossroads after underwhelming loan spells with former club Leeds United, Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City in the subsequent years.

However, Clarke’s loan move to Sunderland in January 2022 proved to be a turning point for him, and after he helped the club to promotion from League One, the deal was made permanent in the summer.

Having found a home at the Stadium of Light, Clarke took his game to another level in the Championship, scoring 11 goals and providing 14 assists in 50 games as the Black Cats reached the play-offs in the 2022-23 campaign under Tony Mowbray.

Last season was nowhere near as productive for Sunderland as they recorded an underwhelming 16th-placed finish, but Clarke had an even better year on an individual level, scoring 15 goals and registering four assists in 42 appearances.

Clarke started this season with the Black Cats, and he got on the scoresheet in the 2-0 win at Cardiff City on the opening weekend, but his departure always seemed inevitable as rumours continued to gather pace about his future.

Bournemouth, Brentford and Southampton were among those said to have been interested in Clarke in the summer, but it was newly-promoted Premier League side Ipswich who eventually won the race for his signature.

After joining Ipswich, Clarke stated that he was “really excited” to have made the switch to Portman Road, and given the outstanding job that manager Kieran McKenna had done at the club over the previous two years, leading them to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League, it looked like the perfect move for the winger.

However, the step up to the top flight has not been quite as seamless as Clarke would have hoped, and after initially being thrown straight into the Tractor Boys’ starting line-up, the 24-year-old has found his game time somewhat limited in recent months.

However, while the league has proven to be challenging, the FA Cup has been much more productive for Clarke, and he has scored three goals and registered two assists in just two games in the competition.

“You can’t underestimate the jump and the change for someone like Jack,” McKenna told the East Anglian Daily Times.

“We’ve probably got a few players in that category, signing late in the transfer window, into a new group, never played in the Premier League, joining a club that hasn’t been in the Premier League for 22 years.

“Trying to settle into all that change in the toughest league in the world as an attacking player is not easy.

“We know how talented he is. He’s a player who we signed to help us this year, which he is, and for the future as well. I’m sure he’s going to keep improving and this today was not a big surprise to me.”

Of course, Clarke proved during his time at Sunderland that he is more than capable of delivering against Championship opposition, but the winger now needs to show that he can perform in the Premier League, and he will hope that his brace against Coventry can be the start of a change in fortunes at Ipswich.

Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap insists he is not distracted after being linked with moves to Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.

The 22-year-old has impressed for Ipswich this season, scoring nine goals in 23 Premier League appearances so far.

Delap, who is the son of former Stoke City, Southampton and Republic of Ireland midfielder Rory Delap, made his professional debut for Manchester City in 2020 before he was sold to Ipswich four years later in a £20 million deal.

Both United and Chelsea have been keeping tabs on Delap’s progress this season, while Arsenal have also been urged to make a move for the striker.However, Delap is adamant that he will not allow transfer speculation to play on his mind as he is looking to help Ipswich avoid relegation this season.

‘It’s engrained in us as footballers,’ Delap told the East Anglian Daily Times.

‘It’s so important, especially for me, to focus on where I’m at now.

‘I’m so happy here, I’m enjoying it so much here. I just look forward to playing football. I take every game as it comes and focus on the next.

‘It is something that I try and stay away from. People around me have told me to stay away from it, it’s something that I’m very good at in focusing on what I want to do. That’s playing football here.

‘I’m really enjoying my time here and I enjoy playing every week. That’s the most important thing.

‘We know, as players and people, that there is noise. If we have a bad game and people are slating us for not performing or getting the right results, we stay focused on ourselves and what we have to achieve.’

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Man Utd look likely to miss out on Viktor Gyokeres(Image: Diogo Cardoso)

Manchester United are reportedly shifting their focus to Benjamin Sesko or Liam Delap for the summer, as a deal for Viktor Gyokeres seems increasingly unlikely.

The Red Devils are believed to be in the market for a new striker, with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee – a summer signing from Bologna – failing to find the back of the net with regularity this season.

With Ruben Amorim now at the helm, a move for Gyokeres, who thrived under the Portuguese coach at Sporting Lisbon, seemed almost certain – but a reunion at Old Trafford now appears doubtful. The Swedish forward is expected to depart Sporting this summer, with the club ready to cash in on their star player.

However, The Athletic suggests that Gyokeres is keen to join a club offering Champions League football next year. While United could still qualify by clinching the Europa League title, there are other considerations.

Sporting are likely to demand around €70million (£58.2m) for Gyokeres, a sum United may hesitate to pay for a player turning 27 in June. This shift towards younger targets could bring Sesko and Delap into the picture, with the former being a long-term target.

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Liam Delap has been impressive at Ipswich Town(Image: Julian Finney)United even attempted to lure him from RB Leipzig during the summer transfer window, but the Slovenian international opted to renew his contract. Arsenal’s known interest in Sesko, coupled with Leipzig’s demands for the 21-year-old, could complicate any potential deal for the striker, whose playing style would suit Amorim’s tactics.

A move for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap could well be on the card after impressing at Portman Road since their promotion from the Championship. At just 22 years old, Delap has nine top-flight goals and has been monitored by United throughout the campaign, he’s also familiar to technical director Jason Wilcox from his time at Manchester City.