Ipswich Town 0-2 Hull City - Half-Time Tuesday, 24th Nov 2020 19:59 Goals from Mallik Wilks and Josh Magennis have given leaders Hull City a 2-0 half-time lead over the Blues at Portman Road. Town boss Paul Lambert made four changes from the team which beat Shrewsbury 2-1 on Saturday with Luke Woolfenden, James Norwood, Keanan Bennetts and Emyr Huws all starting. Woolfenden came in at the heart of the defence for Toto Nsiala, who dropped to the bench, while Huws was in central midfield with Teddy Bishop (ankle) and Jon Nolan (groin) both having picked up knocks on Saturday. Alan Judge moved into the midfield three having been on the right of the front three against the Shrews. Brett McGavin continued in place of Andre Dozzell, who was serving the last game of his three-match ban. Norwood was the lone central striker with Kayden Jackson among the subs, while Bennetts was handed his first league start for the Blues on the right of the front three with Freddie Sears continuing on the left. Aaron Drinan returned to the bench for the first time since suffering a thigh injury in the opening league game against Wigan, while Oli Hawkins was also back in the 18 having missed out at the weekend due to knee and groin issues. Hull City included ex-Blues right-back Josh Emmanuel and former Town loanee Callum Elder in their XI. The Tigers made one change from the team which beat the MK Dons 3-1 on Saturday with Regan Slater coming in for Alfie Jones in central midfield. After the teams took the knee in support of Black Lives Matter, the visitors took the lead with their first attack of the game in only the second minute. Emmanuel fed George Honeyman to his left, who in turn played it on to Wilks, who was given time to hit a low shot past Tomas Holy to his left from just inside the area. The Blues withstood a couple of promising Hull attacks in the immediate aftermath of the early goal before starting to dominate the ball, although without threatening. On 23 Bennetts tricked his way into the box on the right of the box before hitting a shot which Jacob Greaves diverted out for a corner. Town were beginning to look more dangerous with McGavin twice finding Ward with excellent passes, however, the Irishman’s crosses came to nothing. In the 25th minute the left-back took a dip at goal from a tight angle but the ball flew across the face. Two minutes later, Norwood latched on to a ball over the top down the right and hit a shot which failed to trouble Matt Ingram in the Hull goal. Town were forced into a change in the 32nd minute when Sears picked up what looked to be a hamstring problem. Lankester took over on the right of the front three with Bennetts moving to the left. The Blues continued to see most of the ball but with Ingram untested. There was a scramble in the Tigers area following a Lankester corner on 38 but with no one able to get a clear sight of goal and eventually Bennetts dallied on the edge of the box and the danger was gone. Almost immediately Wilks went to ground at the other end in a hopeful attempt to win a penalty before Hakeeb Adelakun’s weak shot was saved by Holy. Chambers headed a Ward cross from the left to Ingram in the 44th minute and then Norwood was unable to get on a ball from deep from the Irishman at the far post. The Blues were on top but were still to carve out a clear cut opportunity or significantly test Ingram. And as the half moved into three minutes of injury time, the Tigers doubled their lead. Reece Burke crossed from the right and an unmarked Josh Magennis beat Holy from eight yards with the Town players adamant the Northern Irish international was offside, however, the officials were unmoved by their protests. Moments before the whistle, Chambers claimed a penalty when he was manhandled as a corner came over from the left but a spot-kick would have been a very generous award. The skipper and his men trooped off after a half in which they had had plenty of the ball but as so often had been unable to turn possession into serious chances and goals. At the other end, the Tigers had taken their two big opportunities clinically but with big questions over Town’s defending, and in the case of the second whether a linesman’s flag should have been raised. The Blues have a mountain to climb in the second half if they’re to maintain their 100 per cent home league record. Town: Holy, Chambers (c), Woolfenden, Nsiala, Ward, McGavin, Huws, Judge, Bennetts, Sears (Lankester 32), Norwood. Subs: Cornell, Nsiala, Kenlock, Drinan, Jackson, Hawkins. Hull City: Ingram, Elder, Burke, Smallwood (c), Wilks, Honeyman, Emmanuel, Adelakun, Slater, Greaves, Magennis. Subs: Long, Coyle, Batty, Eaves, Scott, Samuelsen, Jones. Referee: Lee Swabey (Devon).
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