Ipswich Town 3-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers - Match Report Tuesday, 26th Sep 2023 21:52 Jack Taylor smashed a brilliant 25-yard winner as Town came from two goals behind to beat Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 at Portman Road to reach the fourth round of the Carabao Cup for the first time in 13 years. Hwang Hee-Chan put Wolves in front in the fourth minute, then Toti made it 2-0 on the quarter-hour mark, before the Blues fought back, Omari Hutchinson pulling one back in the 28th minute, Freddie Ladapo levelling on 39 prior to Taylor completing a remarkable turnaround with his stunner 13 minutes into the second half. Town boss Kieran McKenna made 10 changes with keeper Vaclav Hladky the only survivor from Saturday’s 4-3 Championship victory over Blackburn. Dom Ball started at right-back with Brandon Williams on the left and George Edmundson and Elkan Baggott at the centre of the defence. Former Wolves man Lee Evans skippered at the centre of midfield alongside Taylor, with the three behind striker Ladapo, Kayden Jackson, Marcus Harness and Hutchinson. McKenna named a strong bench featuring the likes of Luke Woolfenden, Janoi Donacien, who is back from injury, Massimo Luongo, Wes Burns, Conor Chaplin and George Hirst. Skipper Sam Morsy, who was born in Wolverhampton and started his career at Molineux, wasn’t in the 20-man squad. Wolves also made 10 changes from the team which drew 1-1 at Luton on Saturday with forward Hwang the only player to keep his place. Centre-half Santiago Bueno made his debut following his summer move from Girona, while Tommy Doyle, who is on loan from Manchester City, was handed his first start. The visitors took the lead via the first attack of the game in the fourth minute. Ball intercepted a deep cross from the right ahead of Hwang on the left of the box, but only diverted it out to Sasa Kalajdzic, whose first-time pass found the South Korean international, who was by now in acres of space, from where he fired across Hladky and into the net. Wolves weren’t far from a second in the sixth minute when Matt Doherty brought the ball in from the right before hitting a shot which was goalbound until Edmundson slid in to deflect over. Town claimed a penalty in the eighth minute after Williams burst into the area on the right but was crowded out. Referee Sam Barrott showed no interest. Boubacar Traore was shown the game’s first yellow card on 12 for tripping Hutchinson with the on-loan Chelsea man in full flow and having already beaten Jonny Otto. Hutchinson smashed the resultant free-kick into the wall but the ball bounced out to Evans, who struck a powerful low shot through to Wolves keeper and skipper Dan Bentley, who claimed confidently. Wolves doubled their lead on the quarter-hour. From the second of two corners, this one on the right, Hladky superbly saved Santi Bueno’s header to his left, but Portugal U20 international centre-half Toti reacted quickest to slam the ball into the roof of the net. Soon after the second goal, Blues skipper Evans was booked for a foul on Hugo Bueno. Having been caught cold by the early goal and then the second before they had settled, Town had struggled to get a foothold in the game and create anything going forward. But in the 23rd minute, after a sharp pass from Williams, Taylor forced Bentley into his first save with a shot from just inside the area to the left which the keeper pushed wide. Wolves were still in control but five minutes later, the Blues pulled a goal back. After Hladky had cleared a ball played down the Wolves left, Harness brilliantly played in Hutchinson on the right of the box behind Santi Bueno, from where the youngster struck a shot which beat Bentley off the inside of his left post. The goal gave the Blues confidence and in the 32nd minute Ladapo tried his luck from distance with his effort flying only just over Bentley’s bar. Two minutes later, Evans opened up from the edge of the box and his shot similarly flew only just over. Having started as slowly as at any time under McKenna’s management, Town were firmly back in the hunt and taking the game to the visitors with the home crowd starting to make themselves heard. On 37, Hutchinson hit a well-struck 20-yard free-kick which was was dipping under the bar until Bentley’s fingertips intervened and turned it over for the first of two Blues corners. And two minutes later, Town were on terms. Following throw on the right, Harness played a clever ball in to Ladapo midway inside the area to the right from where the striker hit a shot which Bentley could only help on its way into the net to send Portman Road into raptures. In the 44th minute, Wolves were awarded an indirect free-kick inside the area after Hladky had handled a back pass from Ball. Before the kick could be taken, Hwang was booked for complaining that Town’s wall was in the wrong place, then when the kick was finally taken, the ball was played short to Pablo Sarabia, who couldn’t beat the massed ranks of Blues in front of him and Taylor eventually cleared. As the half moved into injury time, Sarabia hit a low shot a couple of yards wide of Hladky’s left post. Soon after, referee Barrott ended a topsy-turvy half in which the Blues had come from all but dead to go in level. Town hadn’t got going by the time Wolves scored their first goal and then their second with their front players looking likely to score every time they went forward at that stage. But after Harness created Hutchinson’s excellent goal, the Blues, who had perhaps given their top flight opponents too much respect, found their feet and began to put the Premier League side under pressure and were rewarded with Ladapo’s well-taken goal. Wolves made a change ahead of the second half with Rayan Ait-Nouri taking over from Hugo Bueno. Town were first to threaten following the restart, Jackson finding Harness running into space and the former Portsmouth man saw his shot deflect wide off a defender. Wolves began to take charge and on 57 Doherty was played in on the right of the box but Williams slid in to tackle and the ball looped into Hladky’s arms. But a minute later, the Blues scored their third goal, and what a goal it was. After a long spell of Town possession, which began with Hladky, Taylor was played the ball by Harness and the former Posh midfielder let it run across his man and belted an unstoppable 25-yard strike into the top corner of the net to send the home fans wild. It was as good a strike as Portman Road has seen in some time. Two minutes after the goal, Taylor’s second for the club since his summer move from Peterborough, both in the Carabao Cup, Williams was caught high by Doherty but surprisingly referee Barrott failed to give a foul. While the on-loan Manchester United man was undergoing treatment, from which he eventually returned, Wolves swapped Sarabia and Sasa Kalajdzic for Nathan Fraser and Matheus Cunha. The visitors went about getting themselves back on terms and on 68 Doherty flicked a header across the face and wide from a corner on the right. A minute later, Hwang was replaced with Fabio Silva, then on 70 Town introduced Hirst, Sone Aluko and Cameron Humphreys for Ladapo, Hutchinson and Harness, who had assisted all three of Town’s goals in another excellent all-round display. Hladky just about kept out a Santi Bueno header from a corner before Wolves made another change, Joao Gomes replacing Doyle. Town claimed a penalty in the 79th minute when Humphreys was caught high and late after a shot following a corner, but referee Barrott again showed little interest when there looked a very strong case. The Blues made a double change on 82, Burns and Luongo taking over from Taylor, whose goal will live long in the memory, and Jackson. Four minutes later, Aluko was booked for a foul on Doherty, then on 88 Baggott joined him for pulling back Silva after losing out to the former Porto man. There was a moment of concern for the Blues as Ait-Nouri’s free-kick looped over but Traore blazed his shot into the upper tier of the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand. Silva added his name to referee Barrott’s list as the game moved into five minutes of additional time for a foul on Edmundson, another Town player who can be delighted with his performance. Four minutes into injury time, Wolves had the ball in the net via Ait-Nouri after Silva’s looping header had bounced back off the bar but the linesman’s flag had already been raised for offside. Soon after, a huge roar greeted referee Barrott’s final whistle after another superb comeback victory from Town. Town appeared all but out of the competition at 2-0 with Wolves dominating, but this team has shown its remarkable spirit on numerous occasions now and Hutchinson’s excellent goal brought them back into it, before the Blues put the Premier League side under pressure and grabbed Ladapo’s well-taken leveller. After Town had started the second half brightly, Wolves got on top and the Taylor’s brilliant winner came at a time when the visitors were looking the more likely scorers. Thereafter, a Town fourth appeared more on the cards than a Wolves equaliser with the visitors huffing and puffing without making too much impact or testing Hladky further. A famous Carabao Cup victory takes Town into the fourth round for the first time since 2011/12 when they made it to the semi-finals before losing to Arsenal 3-1 on aggregate with the 1-0 home victory in the first leg, the Blues' last success against Premier League opposition. The draw for round four will take place on Wednesday evening following the live-on-Sky Newcastle United-Manchester City tie at around 10.20pm unless that game goes to penalties. Town: Hladky, Ball, Edmundson, Baggott, Williams, Evans (c), Taylor (Luongo 82), Jackson (Burns 82), Harness (Aluko 70), Hutchinson (Humphreys 70), Ladapo (Hirst 70). Unused: Slicker, Woolfenden, Chaplin, Donacien. Wolves: Bentley (c), Jonny, Doherty, S Bueno, Toti, H Bueno (Ait-Nouri 46), Traore, Doyle (Gomes 73), Sarabia (Fraser 61), Hwang (Silva 69), Kalajdzic (Cunha 61). Unused: King, Kilman, Hodge, Fernandez. Referee: Sam Barrott (West Riding). Att: 20,236 (Wolves: 1,938).
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