Ipswich Town 0-3 Manchester City - Half-Time Sunday, 19th Jan 2025 17:31 Two goals from Phil Foden and one from Mateo Kovacic have given Manchester City a 3-0 lead over the Blues at half-time at Portman Road. Town made five changes from the team which lost 2-0 to Brighton on Thursday with Ben Godfrey handed his league debut and skipper Sam Morsy, Cameron Burgess, Ben Johnson and Jack Clarke returning to the team. Godfrey took over from Luke Woolfenden, who was left out of the 20-man party, but lined up to the right of Dara O’Shea, who was in the centre alongside Burgess, who came in for Jacob Greaves, who was also absent from the squad. Johnson was wide on the right with Wes Burns on the bench and Leif Davis on the left with Christian Walton continuing in goal. Morsy replaced Kalvin Phillips, who was ineligible against his parent club, alongside Jens Cajuste in midfield. Clarke came in for Nathan Broadhead, who was among the subs, alongside Omari Hutchinson behind number nine Liam Delap. Jaden Philogene was on the bench having signed from Aston Villa in midweek, as was Axel Tuanzebe after returning from his hamstring injury. City made four changes from the 2-2 draw with Brentford in midweek with Ederson, Ruben Dias, Ilkay Gundogan and Jeremy Doku coming in for Stefan Ortega, Nathan Ake, who has a knock, Bernardo Silva and Savinho. Town began the game well and won a corner in the third minute, Matheus Nunes nodding beyond his keeper and out of play. From the flag-kick, Burgess rose highest but his header looped for another corner off Dias. City began to see most of the ball but in the eighth minute Johnson won the ball not far outside the Town area, before Clarke burst away into the City half and fed Delap to his right. The former City frontman cut inside Dias and hit a shot which was blocked. The Blues picked up the ball again but were unable to get in another effort. The visitors should have gone in front on the quarter hour from the game’s first serious chance. Kovacic threaded a superb ball through for Erling Haaland to chase into the box behind O’Shea but the Norwegian, who signed a new 10-year contract this week, shot too close to Walton, who saved with his left hand. The resultant corner came to nothing but the Blues were subsequently unable to play their way out from the back and an effort from Phil Foden from the right of the area was blocked before Kovacic shot deep into the North Stand from the edge of box. On 20, Foden unleashed a strike from 20 yards but it hit Gundogan and deflected through to Walton. Three minutes later, Delap battled with Kovacic, won the ball, took it on and was fouled just outside the box to the left. Clarke took the free-kick and laid it off to the unmarked Hutchinson on the edge of the area from where the former Chelsea man struck a powerful shot which flicked over off Haaland’s head when on its way into the roof of the net. From the corner, Town threatened again, O’Shea rising high heading towards goal but Ederson claimed two-handed under his bar. However, the visitors took the lead in the 27th minute. Doku fed in Kevin De Bruyne on the left of the box and the Belgian chipped a cross to Foden on the edge of the six-yard box at the near post. The England international deftly took it down before hitting a quick shot on the half-turn which gave Walton no chance. The Town fans tried to up the noise despite their side having gone behind and on 29 Delap brought the ball forward before hitting an ambitious shot from distance which Ederson saved down to his right. A minute later, it was 2-0. Foden squared the ball to Kovacic on the edge of the area to his right and the Croatian international fired a low shot into the corner of the net. Performance-wise, the Blues had had a decent first half hour, playing as well as they might have hoped against such illustrious opposition, but still found themselves two goals down. Davis whipped a cross over from the left into Ederson’s arms, then De Bruyne shot over from the edge after more good work from Foden. City made it 3-0 and effectively tied up the points in the 42nd minute. Doku threaded in De Bruyne behind Godfrey on the left and, as Burgess came out to cover, cut back to Foden on the edge of the six-yard box, from where he turned the ball under Walton and into the net for his fifth goal in his last three Premier League games. Neither side threatened in the remaining scheduled time and one additional minute. The scoreline was harsh on the Blues’ display overall, certainly up to the first City goal, with Town giving as good as they got against the Premier League champions and creating a couple of decent chances. However, the visitors’ quality eventually showed with the Blues unable to keep Foden and De Bruyne in check with the first goal cleverly converted by the England man, who then teed-up Kovacic for the second, before De Bruyne made the most of be able to break into the area unchecked to create the third. The game already looks won at the break with Town’s hope for the second keeping the deficit the same and perhaps pulling a goal or two back. Town: Walton, Johnson, Godfrey, O'Shea, Burgess, Morsy, Cajuste, Davis, Hutchinson, Clarke, Delap. Subs: Muric, Tuanzebe, Townsend, Luongo, Taylor, Burns, Philogene, Broadhead, Hirst. Manchester City: Ederson, Nunes, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Doku, Haaland. Subs: Moreno, Grealish, Bernardo, Savinho, Mubama, Alleyne, O'Reilly, Lewis, McAtee. Referee: Sam Barrott (West Riding). VAR: Paul Tierney.
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