| Fulham 2 v 2 Ipswich Town FA Premier League Sunday, 5th January 2025 Kick-off 14:00 |  |
Fulham 2-2 Ipswich Town - Match Report Sunday, 5th Jan 2025 16:11 Raul Jimenez struck an injury-time penalty - his second and the game’s third spot-kick - to grab a 2-2 draw for Fulham at Craven Cottage and deny the Blues a second win against West London opposition in seven days. Sammie Szmodics gave Town the lead in the 38th minute but the Whites levelled via Jimenez’s first penalty on 69 before the Blues restored their lead via Liam Delap, also from the spot, within two minutes. Jack Clarke hit the post, then moments later the Cottagers were awarded their second penalty, which Jimenez dispatched to claim a share of the points. Town, with incoming loan signing Ben Godfrey watching from the stands, made two changes from the team which beat Chelsea 2-0 on Monday with Omari Hutchinson missing out due to a groin injury and Wes Burns dropping to the bench. Hutchinson was replaced by Szmodics, while Ben Johnson came into the team at right wing-back. Otherwise, it was the same side that defeated Chelsea. Fulham made one change from the 2-2 draw home draw with AFC Bournemouth on Sunday with Andreas Pereira, the subject of interest from Brazilian side Palmeiras, dropping to the bench and Tom Cairney coming back in and skippering. With the game being played in very heavy rain - as was the case when the teams last met at Craven Cottage in October 2001 when the match ended 1-1 - the home side saw most of the ball in the early stages. Town, wearing their all pink third kit, made a break through Nathan Broadhead and Szmodics, playing in Hutchinson’s right-sided role, but the former Blackburn man was crowded out. On five, Antonee Robinson’s deep cross from the left dipped over Christian Walton’s bar with the keeper carefully watching it on its way. Four minutes later, after Liam Delap had won a free-kick, Leif Davis sent the ball dangerously across the box from the left after it had initially been cleared but beyond his teammates. Fulham had dominated possession in the first quarter of an hour but the Blues briefly began to see more of the ball with the home side committing a number of fouls to stop them breaking, although their supporters were less than impressed with a couple of referee Darren Bond’s decisions. However, it was the Cottagers who created the game’s first real chance in the 20th minute. Following a free-kick which had been half-cleared, Cairney sent in a cross from the left which Raul Jimenez headed goalwards but Walton saved sharply down to his right. Within a minute, Alex Iwobi nutmegged Johnson and brought the ball into the left of the area before hitting a shot which was deflected behind by a covering defender. In the 27th minute, Davis was shown the game’s first yellow card for sending Harry Wilson flying after the Wales international had exchanged passes with Jimenez and was bearing down on goal. The Whites fans called for a red card but referee showed only a yellow, which was the right decision. From the free-kick, Joachim Andersen headed straight into Walton’s arms.
Fulham continued to keep the Blues pinned in their own half and on 36 Robinson and Iwobi exchanged passes into the left of the box but Johnson did well to cut out the US international’s return ball before being clattered by Wilson. As against Chelsea on Monday, Town had resolutely withstood Fulham’s pressure and in the 38th minute they took the lead. Broadhead wafted a cross from the left towards the far post, Robinson nodded against his own bar under pressure from Johnson, Calvin Bassey scuffed his clearance straight to Szmodics, who slammed his fourth goal of the season - all away from home - into the net off Bassey, sending the Town fans at the other end wild. Fulham set about getting back on terms and Broadhead, making his 50th start for the club, picked up a yellow card for a foul on Cairney just inside the Town half. Following a 44th-minute corner, the ball was cleared to Wilson on the edge of the box but his volley was blocked. Following the subsequent flag-kick, the ball was returned into the box and Walton claimed confidently in the air to cheers from the Town support behind his goal. As the fourth official indicated one additional minute, Davis was sent away on the left but his low cross was beyond Delap. The first half had been more of the same from the Blues. Solid defending restricting the opposition to few real chances and swift breaks from which Szmodics bagged his first goal since netting in the 2-1 win at Tottenham in November, also wearing the pink shirt. Like their West London counterparts Chelsea earlier in the week, Fulham had seen a lot of the ball but with Walton only forced to make one serious save. Fulham switched Issa Diop for Emile Smith Rowe ahead of the start of the second half which began with the home side putting the Blues under renewed pressure. However, on 55, Johnson played an excellent cross-field pass for Davis, who found Delap with a cross, but the striker was unable to find the space to get in a shot and the danger was cleared. As the hour approached, Jacob Greaves brought the ball out from the back on the left before losing possession. Fulham’s break was held up on the edge of the box and eventually Iwobi’s shot was well wide. In the 63rd minute, Iwobi crossed and Smith Rowe dived to head wide at the far post when the former Arsenal man will feel he should have done better. Fulham swapped Cairney and Iwobi for Rodrigo Muniz and Pereira before Town came close to adding to their lead. Delap knocked down a long ball forward to Broadhead, who smashed a powerful strike, which home keeper Bernd Leno did very well to palm away to his left. Fulham broke away from the resultant corner with Wilson breaking into the area before going to ground as he went past Morsy.
Referee Bond waved away the vehement protests but VAR told him to take another look at it and the official changed his mind, the Town skipper, who was booked, perhaps unable to get out of the Welshman’s way as he ran to get goalside of the ball or maybe trying to bring him down outside the area. Jimenez took the spot-kick and beat Walton to send the home fans into delirium. The home joy was short-lived, however, with the Blues awarded a penalty 21 seconds after the restart. Delap was found on the left of the box and as he tried to work his way between two defenders was felled by Timothy Castagne. Referee Bond pointed straight to the spot and despite some lengthy arguments from Fulham players, VAR upheld the decision.
The Town striker took the kick himself and hit it high and hard into the top corner to Leno’s left, becoming the first Blues player to score penalties in consecutive matches in the Premier League and taking his total for the season to eight. Having restored their lead, the Blues swapped Cajuste and Szmodics for Kalvin Phillips and Jack Taylor. Johnson was booked for a foul in the 78th minute for a foul on Sasa Lukic, Jimenez heading only just wide from the free-kick having been given too much space at the near post. A minute later, Fulham swapped Lukic for Adama Traore, before the Blues switched Johnson and Broadhead for Burns and Jack Clarke. The Cottagers were continuing to take the game to Town, looking for their second equaliser but without being able to find a way through the Blues’ backline. On 83, following a rare Town foray forward, Davis shot well over. As the game moved into its final three scheduled minutes, the Blues replaced Delap, again a huge presence up front, for Ali Al-Hamadi. And in the 89th minute, Town came close to sealing it when Clarke cut in from the left and slammed a low shot against the post. Almost immediately, with the game now in seven additional minutes, play moved to the other end. Jimenez tried to go round the outside of Davis and the full-back tripped the Mexican. Referee Bond pointed straight to the spot and VAR vindicated his decision Jimenez took the kick and found the top corner. Town found themselves under pressure during the remaining minutes, Taylor almost inadvertently playing in Wilson with a backpass, Walton clearing in front of the Welshman. Fulham claimed another penalty for handball, VAR deciding there was no case to answer, then in the closing moments Walton saved a low shot down to his left. Once again, Town had points snatched for them at the last, but most supporters would have taken a point at the start of the match. The Blues were once again solid and resolute defensively but were always a threat on the break with Szmodics taking his chance clinically. Town will feel the two penalties they conceded were preventable ones with Morsy not really making anything resembling a legitimate challenge for the first and Davis sticking out a tired leg - presumably the effects of the very heavy conditions - for the second. Delap was always a threat against the Fulham backline and it was probably little surprise that he forced a foul inside the area, the striker again finishing powerfully from the spot. Two games undefeated and four points put the 18th-placed Blues level on points with Wolves ahead of them ahead of the break from the Premier League next weekend for the FA Cup with League One Bristol Rovers at Portman Road next Sunday. Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Diop (Smith Rowe 46), Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Lukic (Traore 79), Cairney (c) (Pereira 63), Wilson, Jimenez, Iwobi (Muniz 63). Subs: Benda, Cuenca, Sessegnon, King, Godo,. Town Walton, Johnson (Burns 80), O'Shea, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste (Phillips 73), Szmodics (Taylor 73), Broadhead (J Clarke 80), Delap (Al-Hamadi 88). Subs: Muric, H Clarke, Burgess, Townsend. Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire). VAR: Paul Tierney. Att: 27,042.
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