Ipswich Town Women went top of the league as they ran out 2-1 winners over Exeter City in Felixstowe this afternoon, thanks to goals from Sophie Peskett and Ella Rutherford.
Maisy Barker should have scored in the third minute of the game as the ball came to her following a great run from Peskett but, with the Exeter goalkeeper out of her net, Barker put her effort just wide of the post.
It was a quick start from Town, as Lucy Watson played through Peskett in the fifth minute. She had just the keeper to beat, but it was well saved by Abbi Bond to deny the winger.
Exeter broke the deadlock in the 12th minute through Sophie Gillies. She got the wrong side of Megan Wearing and, from the edge of the area, her well-hit shot fired into the back of the net.
Town drew level in the 30th minute as Peskett received the ball on the edge of the area and her shot through a sea of bodies took a deflection on its way to the back of the net.
Town continued to press after the goal, creating a number of chances, but Exeter remained firm.
The referee duly brought the first half to a close. A good game with little to separate the sides.
The second half continued much the same. Both teams saw lots of the ball but no chances within the first 15 minutes of the half presented themselves to either side.
Ella Rutherford scored in the 86th minute with a fantastic finish from distance. (Image: Ross Halls)
There was very little to shout about in the second half, with just a speculative effort from Lucy O’Brien in the 68th minute being the stand-out chance, but it flew well over the bar.
Then, in the 86th minute, Rutherford scored an absolute peach of a goal. A great turn from Peskett saw her play it to Rutherford. And from from 25-yards she struck the ball with her left foot and it flew into the bottom right corner.
The strike secured a huge win for the Tractor Girls, who go top of the league with two games in hand over Hashtag United.
Town Starting XI: Negri, Mitchell, Boswell (C), Wearing, Barker (Hughes,60), Robertson, Doe (Guyatt,81), Watson (Rutherford,60), O’Brien, Peskett (Fisher,87), Thomas (Addison,81)
Ipswich Town are now showing interest in a summer move for an “excellent” defender who is currently starring in the Championship, according to a report.
Ipswich fighting to avoid the drop
It was always going to be a tough task for Ipswich to avoid relegation from the Premier League, but they are refusing to go down without a fight, and it was another spirited performance away at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon.
Despite going down to 10 men in the first half, with Axel Tuanzebe being shown a red card, the Tractor Boys managed to pick up a point at a tough place to go in Villa Park, with Liam Delap once again getting on the scoresheet in a 1-1 draw.
Kieran McKenna‘s side are still two points from safety, but Saturday’s performance should give them confidence heading into another tough period.
There is still uncertainty as to which division Ipswich will be playing in next season, but they are starting to look at potential recruits ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to a report from GiveMeSport, the Tractor Boys are now showing interest in Millwall’s Japhet Tanganga, who has impressed in the Championship this season.
However, there could be a great deal of competition for Tanganga’s signature, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Ham United and Southampton also name-checked as potential destinations.
Premier League scouts are planning to watch the defender in action next month when Crystal Palace take on the Lions at Selhurst Park in the FA Cup.
In the January transfer window, Millwall warded off interest in the centre-back with a £12m asking price, but it is unclear how much they would be looking to receive for him in the summer.
Tanganga could be an “excellent” signing
Regardless of which league Ipswich find themselves in next season, the 25-year-old could be a fantastic addition to the squad given his top-flight experience and performances in the second tier this season.
As per Sofascore, the former Tottenham Hotspur man has averaged a match rating of 7.18, the highest of any player in the Millwall squad, and he has established himself as a key player, making 29 appearances in the Championship.
Ex-Millwall boss Neil Harris was also full of praise for the Englishman earlier this season, saying: “He’s a Premier League player all day long, we all know that.
“We want him on the pitch every week and he knows his place in the team. I know what he’s excellent at, which is pretty much everything.”
As such, it is promising news that Ipswich are now in the race to sign Tanganga, and they should continue to monitor his performances in the Championship for the remainder of the season.
Emerson Palmieri‘s sorry display for West Ham United in their 1-0 defeat to Brentford has proven why Graham Potter must look for an upgrade on the Italian left-back.
Kevin Schade netted the only goal of the game in the fourth minute for the Bees, finding the back of the net at the second time of asking after Alphonse Areola had denied his initial attempt. Yoane Wissa thought he’d put his side further in front in the 41st minute, but VAR intervened and ruled the goal out for an offside in the build-up.
The visitors warranted their half-time lead and could have been further out of sight if they had taken their chances against a disappointing Hammers’ side who were tame in front of goal and had questionable defending. Potter reacted to the poor first-half display by bringing off Emerson for Oliver Scarles after watching Bryan Mbeumo toy with the former Chelsea man and the versatile 19-year-old, who was an improvement on the veteran full-back.
The Italian’s vulnerabilities were on display against BrentfordEmerson offered nothing going forward for the Hammers in his 45-minute outing at the London Stadium, and he was one of several underperformers on Potter’s team who cannot be relied upon as a starter for much longer.
The 30-year-old made three clearances and won two of three ground duels but was non-existent in the air, beaten to the ball on two occasions — the 29-cap Italy international continues to show alarming signs of regression that undoubtedly makes that left-back position a priority to tackle in the summer transfer window.
Reports claimed ahead of today’s game that doubts are growing within the West Ham coaching team regarding Emerson’s form and future at the club. The transfer chiefs have been tasked with finding a replacement for the defender, who sits on purported wages of £95,000.
Potter’s patience must be wearing thin over the Brazilian-born defender, especially because his poor run of form has often led to summer signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka being used as a makeshift left-back. He will have a year left on his contract at the end of the season, and the time is now to offload him and find a long-term replacement.
Full-backs are vital positions in Potter’s system, as was seen during his impressive spell in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion, overseeing Spain’s Euro 2024 winning left-back Marc Cucurella‘s development. The Hammers boss wants his full-backs or wing-backs to support his attackers with direct off-the-ball runs into attacking spaces, and Emerson doesn’t look up for such a challenge.
The Premier League strugglers were left a man down in the 40th minute when Axel Tuanzebe was shown a second yellow card for a challenge on Morgan Rogers outside of the Villa box.
After the game, Ipswich boss McKenna hit out at the decision to send Tuanzebe off.
Keith Hackett agrees with McKenna after Aston Villa v Ipswich incident
As quoted by BBC Sport, McKenna said it was a “poor” decision by Jones to dish out Tuanzebe’s first yellow card when he clearly won the ball first in a challenge on Rogers.
The Northern Irishman suggested that the referee was too quick to book the former Aston Villa loanee, something which ex-PGMOL general manager Keith Hackett agrees with.
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“The referee could not have been in a better position to judge this challenge and he could easily have avoided issuing that first yellow card,” Hackett told Villa News.
“Rogers turned Tuanzebe, who got a slight touch of the ball and then made minimum contact with his opponent.
“Referee Jones was, in my opinion, too quick to pull out his card – a quiet word would have been sufficient.
“Already on a yellow, Tuanzebe’s second challenge was a foul and yellow card offence.
“Ipswich cannot appeal a yellow card so the player will serve a ban.
“It was rather harsh given the circumstances of what I consider to be a cheap first yellow that was avoidable.”
Aston Villa luck balances out v Ipswich
There’s no doubt that the first booking for Tuanzebe was a harsh one but, as Hackett said, the second one was a poor challenge by the 27-year-old DR Congo international, who pulled Rogers back when there was no need to.
Former West Brom goalkeeper Alex Palmer was incredible in goals for Ipswich as he kept out several second-half chances before pulling off an incredible last-gasp save in stoppage time to earn his side a point.
Julio Enciso (left) hobbles off during the first half of Ipswich Town’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.
Julio Enciso (left) hobbles off during the first half of Ipswich Town’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna provided an injury update on Julio Enciso, Sam Morsy and Leif Davis following this afternoon’s gritty 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.
Left-back Davis, an ever-present in the Premier League up until now, and captain Morsy were both absent from the squad at Villa Park.
Distraught Brighton loanee Enciso then limped off the field in the 17th minute.
“Julio is down the side of his knee, so we’ll have to wait for assessment,” revealed McKenna.
“Samy we lost early in the week – hopefully not too major. It’s a little inflammation around his abdominal region.
“Leif was a really late one yesterday, so Conor (Townsend) had to come in at late notice. I won’t go into too much medical stuff with Leif, but, again, it’s a minor injury.”
Town, up to 18th in the Premier League table, are now preparing for a home game against Tottenham next Saturday.
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.
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“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.
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“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.
Ollie Watkins scored the equaliser for Aston Villa
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.
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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
Don’t miss
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
Unai Emery’s side will host Ipswich in the Premier League at Villa Park on 15 February in what is their first of five games in 13 days, a congested schedule which has left the West Midlands club furious with the Premier League.
Therefore, supporters will be eager to see what the on-loan Manchester United forward has to offer, and ex-Villa scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – expects the Englishman to make his first start against the Tractor Boys.
“Villa have more than enough firepower to take care of Ipswich.This is the perfect chance for Rashford to make his full debut for the club, especially with the match taking place at Villa Park.
“It would be good for the supporters to see Rashford start. After that cup win against Tottenham, there is still a lot to play for at Aston Villa.”
Aston Villa must pick up three points v Ipswich Town
Villa are at the beginning of a very busy period which could go a long way in defining their season. As a result, they need to kick things off with three points against Ipswich.
Emery’s side will be keen to put pressure on the Champions League-chasing teams, while Ipswich are struggling down in 19th. Therefore, in front of their own supporters, Villa can’t afford to slip up in this one.
And should Rashford start the match, he will be keen to kick things off in style, and a home match against a struggling team allows him the opportunity to do just that.
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 (
Image: Julian Finney)
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 (
Image:
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.
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.
