| Rotherham United 2 v 2 Ipswich Town SkyBet Championship Tuesday, 7th November 2023 Kick-off 20:00 |  |
Rotherham United 2-2 Ipswich Town - Match Report Tuesday, 7th Nov 2023 22:06 Christ Tiehi netted a 91st-minute equaliser to deny the Blues all three points as Town and Rotherham United drew 2-2 at the New York Stadium. Sam Nombe gave the Millers the lead in the fourth minute but skipper Sam Morsy levelled with a brilliant strike on 19. Town looked to have won it when Jack Taylor scored three minutes from the end but Tiehi struck back in injury time to claim a share of the points for the South Yorkshiremen. Skipper Sam Morsy netted his first goal of the season to level Sam Nombe’s early opener for Rotherham to leave the score 1-1 at half-time at the New York Stadium. Town boss Kieran McKenna made three changes for this evening’s rearranged live-on-Sky game at Rotherham United with Axel Tuanzebe coming into the side for his league debut along with Marcus Harness and Kayden Jackson. Tuanzebe came in at centre-half for Luke Woolfenden, who was missing from the squad in the league for the first time since the game at Cambridge in February. Woolfenden was on the bench, while Jackson took over wide on the right from Omari Hutchinson, who was also among the subs. Harness took over from Nathan Broadhead on the left, with the Wales international not in the squad having been ill. Brandon Williams, who missed Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Birmingham due to illness, was back on the bench. Of Town’s three ex-Millers, George Hirst started and Freddie Ladapo and Dominic Ball were on the bench. Rotherham made two changes from the team which drew 1-1 at home to QPR on Saturday with full debutant Daniel Ayala and Sam Nombe coming into the team, while Jordan Hugill and club captain Sean Morrison dropped to the bench. The Blues, wearing their new white and black third kit for the first time, as they had planned to for the postponed first staging of the game last month, found themselves a goal behind following the first serious attack of the game in the fourth minute. Leif Davis chested a floated ball played wide to him just inside the Town half by Tuanzebe into the path of Fred Onyedinma, who brought it forward into the area on the right before sending over a low cross which Nombe slid over the line from close range to claim his first goal for the Millers. Town protested that the former Exeter man had been offside but more in hope than expectation and the goal stood. The Blues quickly looked to get back on terms, Conor Chaplin skipping inside his man to work space on the edge of the box on seven but his strike deflected behind and the corner came to nothing. But the goal had given the home side and their fans confidence and they put the Blues under a spell of pressure just after the 10-minute mark, Cameron Burgess turning a low cross from the left out for a corner, then Christ Tiehi shot only just over from 20 yards following the flag-kick. Town were giving the ball away too easily in their own half, while Rotherham were giving them little time to pass out from the back. Despite having been on the back foot for the previous few minutes, the Blues levelled in the 19th minute. Jackson was fouled on the right by ex-Colchester full-back Cohen Bramall. Davis feinted to cross into the box but cut back to the 18-yard line from where unmarked skipper Sam Morsy curled a brilliant strike into the top corner of the net, the Egyptian international’s first goal of the season. Having got on terms, the Blues began to take control of the game, although without immediately creating another opportunity. On 33, they looked to have a very strong claim for a penalty when the ball was chipped forward to Hirst on the right of the area and the striker appeared to have his standing leg taken away by Hakeem Odoffin as he took it down. Chaplin in particular seemed convinced but referee Graham Scott showed no interest. Had there been VAR, then there’s little doubt Town would have been awarded a penalty. Six minutes later, Harry Clarke will feel he should have done better having been given a free header from a corner from the left, the right-back heading down into the ground and wide. During two minutes of additional time, Nombe hit a shot well wide for the Millers from just outside the area. That was the last action of the first half, the Blues again having started slowly, as they have on a number of occasions recently, and were punished for the early error with Davis having been able to deal with the ball better than he did, although with Tuanzebe’s pass not the most judicious. Having gone behind, the Millers briefly put the Blues under a spell of pressure. But that ended abruptly when the Blues levelled from another well-worked free-kick, Davis disguising his pass superbly before cutting back to Morsy, whose finish was top drawer. From there, Town took control and Clarke will feel he ought to have scored his header, while Hirst should certainly have been awarded a penalty after the foul by Odoffin. The Blues began the second half as they’d ended the first, in charge but without creating chances. On 56, Chaplin’s clever pass sent Jackson away on the right. The wideman’s deep cross reached Davis but his cut back deflected behind off Dexter Lembikisa. Hirst flicked on the corner, but the loose ball just wouldn’t fall for Chaplin. Two minutes later, Rotherham swapped former Norwich City central defender Ayala for Morrison. As the hour mark passed, the Blues were dominating the ball for long passages of possession. On 61, Davis shot over from distance, then a minute later a Massimo Luongo strike was blocked behind for a corner. Three minutes later, Rotherham swapped Onyedimna and Sam Clucas for Hugill and Seb Revan. Moments after the substitutions had been made, Chaplin tried to thread in Hirst from the left but the ball was cut out. However, it fell loose to Chaplin but his first-time shot flew well over. In the 65th minute, there was a rare chance for the Millers, Morrison nodding wide of Vaclav Hladky’s right post following a spell of head tennis inside the area after a Rotherham free-kick midway inside their half. Within a minute, Chaplin saw another shot from the edge of the box blocked before Rotherham made their final change, Georgie Kelly taking over from Nombe. Town made three changes in the 69th minute, Ladapo, Omari Hutchinson and Jack Taylor replacing Hirst, Jackson and Luongo. Hutchinson made an immediate impression, getting down the right and standing up a cross which reached Chaplin. The forward had his back to goal, so played it wide to Davis, who returned the ball but Chaplin’s subsequent shot was took high. Town continued to dominate the half and on 76 sub Revan was booked for a poor challenge on Hutchinson as the on-loan Chelsea man burst round the outside of him chasing a pass. The Blues had another very strong claim for a penalty in the 77th minute, Tuanzebe’s header from Davis’s left-sided corner clearly hitting a Rotherham arm. Again referee Scott wasn’t interested. Three minutes later, Morsy sent Hutchinson away down the right and the winger just reached it before it went behind and crossed for Chaplin, who scuffed his shot, last season’s top scorer having had a frustrating night in front of goal. In the 82nd minute, Lembikisa shot well wide after a long throw had been cleared, then seconds later Morsy was booked for a foul on his Millers counterpart Ollie Rathbone. While Rotherham prepared to take the free-kick, Town swapped Chaplin for Dane Scarlett. The Millers enjoyed a spell on top with the Blues unable to clear their lines following another long throw from the left. Eventually, the ball fell to Kelly in a dangerous area on the right of the area but Hladky spread himself to block. But Town quickly got back in the ascendency and in the 87th minute, they went in front for the first time. The ball was crossed from the right, Scarlett failed to connect with an overhead kick and it reached Davis, who whipped over a low cross. Rathbone sought to clear but smashed against Taylor and the ball ricocheted into the net with Ladapo just avoiding the temptation of adding a final touch. The players celebrated Taylor's first league goal for the club in front of the 2,133 Town fans behind the goal. The Blues brought on Ball for Harness to see out the final minutes, including six added on. Town looked on their way to the three points but there was to be a sting in the tail. Following a long throw, a Kelly shot from the edge of the box was blocked but fell to Christ Tiehi, who curled a shot beyond Hladky and into the corner of the net to send the previously sullen fans wild. It had been a goal out of nothing at a time when the Blues looked to have had the game won. The Blues kept pushing for a winner in the remaining minutes but it was Rotherham fans on their feet applauding at the final whistle. Town will certainly feel it’s two points dropped having scored what looked to be the winner with only three minutes remaining. To concede so late in the day having got into that position was sloppy, although they had similarly failed to clear their lines on a couple of occasions early on. Town will also believe they were denied two penalties, one for the foul on Hirst in the first half and the handball from Tuanzebe's header in the second. The Blues remain the only team whose games are still to feature a penalty this season. Despite the draw being disappointing, the result moves the second-placed Blues three points off leaders Leicester and eight in front of third-placed Leeds, now all having played the same number of games. Town’s club record unbeaten away league run is now up to 17. The Blues, whose on New York Stadium remains the 5-2 victory eight years ago today in which Daryl Murphy scored a hat-trick, are next in action against Swansea City at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon. Rotherham United: Johansson, Lembikisa, Bramall, Ayala (Morrison 58), Cafu, Clucas (Revan 64), Onyedinma (Hugill 64), Rathbone (c), Odoffin, Tiehi, Nombe (Kelly 68). Unused: Phillips, Eaves, Lindsay, Appiah. Town: Hladky, Clarke, Tuanzebe, Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo (Taylor 69), Jackson (Hutchinson 69), Chaplin (Scarlett 82), Harness, Hirst (Ladapo 69). Unused: Walton, Woolfenden, Williams, Ball, Taylor, Humphreys, Hutchinson, Scarlett, Ladapo. Referee: Graham Scott (Oxfordshire). Att: 10,800 (Town: 2,133).
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