Town’s hopes of staying in the Premier League suffered a significant blow after they were defeated 2-1 at Portman Road by rock-bottom Southampton, the Saints’ first away league win this season and only their second in the league. Joe Aribo gave the visitors the lead against the run of play in the 21st minute but Liam Delap levelled for the Blues 10 minutes later with his ninth of the season. Town had a number of chances to go in front but were unable to take them and were made to pay three minutes from time when Paul Onuachu stabbed home a rebound.

The Blues made four changes from the team which lost 4-1 at Liverpool last week with Aro Muric, Jens Cajuste and Nathan Broadhead returning to the XI and Julio Enciso making his full debut.

Muric took over in goal from Christian Walton, who suffered a groin injury at Anfield last week having started the last five matches, with Cieran Slicker the sub keeper.

Cajuste came back into central midfield alongside skipper Sam Morsy, who was making his 150th start for the club, with Kalvin Phillips on the bench.

Ensico, who came off the bench at Liverpool last week and whose corner led to Jacob Greaves’s late goal, was in the centre of the three behind Liam Delap with Omari Hutchinson on the right and Nathan Broadhead on the left.

Ben Johnson and Jaden Philogene were among the subs having started last week, while Wes Burns is out for the season having suffered an ACL injury.

Southampton gave debuts to January signings Welington, a Brazilian left-back, and Danish international midfielder Albert Gronbaek, while England keeper Aaron Ramsdale was back in goal with ex-Blues loanee Alex McCarthy dropping to the bench.

Another former loanee, James Bree, started for the Saints, but there was no place for Flynn Downes in the squad. Jack Stephens, Tyler Dibling and Kamaldeen Sulemana were all on the bench after returning from injury.

The Blues started on the front foot with Enciso and Delap both involved and on five the Paraguayan international won a corner on the left with a shot which deflected wide. The on-loan Brighton man took the flag-kick himself, Dara O’Shea heading back from deep but Saints keeper Ramsdale claimed the looping ball.

Town continued to see all the ball with the visitors struggling to get out of their half, Taylor Harwood-Bellis passing twice passing straight out of play under no pressure.

On 10, the busy Enciso shot low to Ramsdale’s left after winning the ball back not far outside the area but the keeper was able to save with little fanfare.

The Blues had maintained their dominance and Southampton had shown virtually nothing as an attacking force but on 21 the visitors went in front.

Kyle Walker-Peters was given space on the right and played a ball ahead for Mateus Fernandes. Greaves’s heel diverted Fernandes’s cross to Joe Aribo on the penalty spot and the Nigeria international hit a shot towards goal which Muric bundled into the net with his right hand. That the keeper felt he should have done better was clear from his reaction.

Town set about getting back on terms, Hutchinson making a burst towards the area before being felled by Harwood-Bellis only for referee Michael Oliver to wave away the protests, much to the annoyance of the home support.

On 24, Hutchinson sent over a ball from the right, Broadhead nodded down and Delap hooked the ball only just over.

As the game approached the half hour, Enciso broke past a number of Southampton players before feeding Leif Davis, whose cross clearly struck Walker-Peters on an outstretched arm. Referee Oliver again irked the Town fans by waving away protests and VAR evidently agreed with him.

But the Blues support didn’t have to wait too much longer for an equaliser. In the 31st minute, Broadhead dug out a pass on halfway, Delap’s pace saw him beat Saints skipper Jan Bednarek to the ball and through one-on-one with Ramsdale, who he confidently beat to his left.

Delap’s ninth goal for the Blues lifted the roof off a previously nervous and frustrated Portman Road, but was well deserved on the balance of the game.

Two minutes after levelling, Town should have gone in front. Delap sent Broadhead away towards the left and the Wales international took it on into the area before attempting to chip Ramsdale, who saved with his chest. The loose ball fell back to Broadhead at a tight angle but he was unable to make anything of the second opportunity.

Southampton created a chance in the 36th minute, Welington crossing and 6ft 7in tall striker Onuachu nodded straight at Muric, who claimed.

Four minutes later, there was a huge cheer from the Town support after referee Oliver showed the game’s first yellow card to Welington for a foul on Axel Tuanzebe not far outside the area, a number of earlier caution-worthy challenges from Saints players having gone unpunished.

Enciso took the free-kick and sent a low effort past the wall to the right but into the side-netting.

On 44, Cajuste did well to clear the danger with Fernandes threatening to find a way through the Town backline.

A minute later, Morsy sent Hutchinson away on the right, the former Chelsea man cutting in but shooting straight at Ramsdale.

Two minutes into three additional minutes, the Blues should have taken the lead. Hutchinson crossed from the right, the ball reached Broadhead, who took too many touches before hitting a shot which was blocked. A first-time strike would probably have seen the Wales international, who was only eight yards out, celebrating his first Premier League goal.

That was the last action of a half which the Blues had controlled throughout aside from a couple of Southampton attacks.

Town had started positively, with the enthusiastic Enciso causing the visitors plenty of problems, although without creating any serious chances, before the Saints scored via their first attack, a goal which the Blues defence and keeper Muric won’t want to watch back.

As has so often been the case under Kieran McKenna’s management, going behind didn’t appear to impact Town too much and it took only 10 minutes for the equaliser, created well by Broadhead and finished confidently by Delap.

From there, the Broadhead had had two chances to put his side in front but perhaps showed his lack of recent goals with his finishes.

The visitors made a change ahead of the second half, Harwood-Bellis, who had looked out of sorts throughout the first period and had picked up a knock towards the end, making way for club captain Stephens, returning to the team for the first time since December 4th.

In the 53rd minute, Delap was blocked off by Bednarek inside the box, the Town striker claiming a penalty but referee Oliver showing no interest.

The former Manchester City man was still down in the area holding his face as play continued with the Blues still in possession. Eventually, with Delap now on his feet, Hutchinson played a pass across the edge of the area to Davis, who laid back to Cajuste, but the Swedish international’s shot flew well over.

Visitors’ half-time sub Stephens lasted only 11 minutes, taking his leave on 56 having picked up a niggle and Will Smallbone taking over.

Just before the hour, Enciso went close to putting Town in front. Greaves nodded Cajuste’s long throw from the left back from the near post and Delap stabbed it out to the Paraguayan, whose effort wafted just past the angle of post and bar.

Southampton subsequently had a spell on the ball, Bree shooting wide from the edge off Davis.

From the corner, the ball found Aribo in space but the midfielder sent the ball well wide, the ball almost falling for a teammate on the byline to the left before the danger was cleared.

The Blues broke immediately through Ensico and Hutchinson, the latter crossing for Broadhead but the Wales international couldn’t get it under control and the ball bounced through to Ramsdale. That was Broadhead’s last involvement with Philogene taking over.

In the 65th minute, Delap brought the ball in from the left before mis-hitting a shot well wide. Five minutes later, the visitors swapped debutant Gronbaek for Sulemana.

On 71, Delap muscled his way around the outside of Bednarek before shooting from a tight angle when there were options in the middle and Ramsdale saved.

Moments later, Cajuste was sent flying in the middle 10 yards outside the area. Morsy took a quick free-kick, Bednarek clattered into Delap as the Town striker turned, but the Blues kept playing and Enciso’s shot failed to trouble Ramsdale.

Bednarek was eventually booked in the 74th minute for hauling over Delap five yards outside the area. Davis’s free-kick struck the top of the wall.

Town were by now completely dominant, Davis crossing from the left and then Philogene from the right with the Blues encamped in the Saints half.

The Blues swapped Cajuste, again one of Town’s key men, for Jack Taylor, before there was a hold-up in play as Ramsdale was treated.

Soon after, Sulemana made a pacy run into the area on the left but Tuanzebe kept up with him and forced him off the ball.

Welington underwent treatment and eventually made way for Yukinari Sugawara with Lesley Ugochukwu also coming off and Adam Lallana, who played for the Saints U18s in the 2005 FA Youth Cup final at Portman Road as the Blues won the trophy, took over.

Town’s impetus had been halted by all the stoppages and they were struggling to put attacks together and in the 87th minute the Saints went back in front.

Aribo fed Sulimana down the left, the sub cutting in and hitting a low shot which Muric saved down to his right. However, the Kosovan keeper could only palm it out and Onuachu beat Greaves to the loose ball and stabbed into the net to send the away fans to his left into raptures.

Town swapped Enciso and Davis for George Hirst and Jack Clarke for the final three scheduled minutes plus eight in additional time.

The Blues huffed and puffed in the closing minutes but without creating a significant opportunity and it was the visitors’ fans cheering at the whistle and muted boos from the Town supporters.

A big blow for the Blues as they battle relegation with the games against those around them towards the bottom of the division matches which it is far more important to win than those against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, who beat them in previous weeks.

Town will rue missing opportunities in the first half, the otherwise excellent Broadhead having two chances that he probably would have taken in his pomp in the last two seasons, while Enciso and Delap may feel they should have done better with second half opportunities, although Ramsdale wasn’t as tested as he should have been after the break.

Enciso, Hutchinson and Philogene after he came on caused problems with their running with the ball but all too often kept hold of it too long when they might have moved it on to teammates.

Southampton, whose last away win was at Leeds in the Championship in May and whose manager Ivan Juric is celebrating his first Premier League win, had one real chance in each half and scored from both of them with questions regarding the returning Muric on each of them, although Town never looked entirely comfortable at the back.

The result makes little difference to the Blues’ position as it stands, Leicester having lost 4-0 at Everton and Wolves in action at Villa later this evening, but losing to Southampton, who remain seven points behind second-bottom Town is a big blow both in terms of failing to take points and also psychologically.

Town: Muric, Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis (J Clarke 87), Morsy (c), Cajuste (Taylor 77), Hutchinson, Enciso (Hirst 87), Broadhead (Philogene 64), Delap. Unused: Slicker, Johnson, Godfrey, Townsend, Phillips.

Southampton: Ramsdale, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis (Stephens 46 (Smallbone 56)), Aribo, Bree, Fernandes, Ugochukwu (Lallana 82), Gronbaek (Sulemana 70), Onuachu, Welington (Sugawara 82), Bednarek (c). Unused: McCarthy, Armstrong, Dibling, Bella-Kotchap. Referee: Michael Oliver (Ashington). VAR: Jarred Gillett. Att: 29,902 (Southampton: 2,961).

Photo: Reuters

dirtydingusmagee added 09:53 - Feb 2 Its disappointing but as ive said before i think too many set their sights too high before a ball was kicked in the prem saying we will smash it ect We were never going to do that.Survival was / is a tall ask .
4

philpott2 added 10:35 - Feb 2 Dirtydingusmagee Lol...I wish it was by choice. I quite literally couldn't see any part of the goal or net....it's tough getting tickets! Let's hope for a proper go from here on in. And eject the boo boys and girls! It feels like we are missing Chaplin, at least he used to be odds on to have a shot at every opportunity. If only one or two others would take that onto the pitch. Tempting to say it's like watching the Arsenal and Man City of days gone by, walk it into the net so don't bother having a shot.......but sadly when we get to the opposition box we invariably just lose the ball.

0

Bert added 11:04 - Feb 2 Carberry - Muric goes to the bench before KO every game. I have no idea why. Perhaps it’s the same as when Edmudsen did his stretching in the same place and Morsy doing his prayers. Every player has a ritual. Mine is going through the same turnstile……. but that clearly does not bring us any fortune so I will change it !
2

Lukeybluey added 12:45 - Feb 2 One observation I have made during the course of the season, is that pretty much every team are pretty good at one touch passing, some better than others...Newcastle stood out...other teams move the ball at pace with one touch passing and get forward very quickly. We on the other hand move it very laboured and slow, and always take 2,3,4 touches before passing, even passing out from the back, we never seem to achieve anything. When the idea is to quickly break the opposition press, we're too slow, and we inevitably get trapped in our own corner with nowhere to go, and three things tend to happen... we either misplace a pass and kick it out for a dangerous throw in or corner and have to defend, we win a throw in our corner and so basically achieved nothing and cornered in, or needlessly under immense pressure misplace a pass or make a mistake in a dangerous area and give a goal away... We've looked our best when we've been more direct and running at the opposition, such as Chelsea... I've said it before, I think our midfield is our weak point. Also think yesterday our no 10's needed to be closer to Delap, it was like he was alone on a desert island up front for most of the game. Enciso looks good though...

5

Lukeybluey added 13:13 - Feb 2 With regards to a new goalkeeper, couldnt we go for Florian Kastenmeier from Dusseldorf? Thought he looked decent against us pre season...
0

TimmyH added 13:21 - Feb 2 Really have my doubts about Philogene (before we signed him seeing what he offered at Villa)...I'm just wondering if these players are for the rebound when we go into the Championship?
-1

Razor added 14:08 - Feb 2 where was the PASSION AND ENERGY i saw nobody with fists in the air demanding more effort----we bought shockingly in the summer and we are carrying too many people it is quite obvious-----everbody remember that that this club is run by Americans----say no more
1

Carberry added 15:40 - Feb 2 Bert, maybe it is to get away from his team mates?
0

Carberry added 15:47 - Feb 2 Razor, totally agree with you except it isn't run by Americans, it's run by Ashton. He has his hands gripping the reins and nobody else has influence. I would really like to know how much input McKenna has with recruitment, less than we think, I would imagine.
0

Ipswichbusiness added 19:20 - Feb 2 Leejames99 First, you should learn basic literacy (how to spell definitely and the difference between your and you’re). Second, I welcome your (correct spelling in context) concession that you have not read the contracts and so have no idea what is in them. Therefore, you should be quiet on the matter. Third, sometimes clubs have clauses in contracts saying that the player will receive a wage cut if the Club is relegated and players have a clause that they can move on if another club makes an offer over a certain amount. We do not know if these clauses apply. Fourth, I do not and never have owned or operated a business in the town centre so you know as much about me as you do about contracts; nothing at all.

1

dirtydingusmagee added 10:12 - Feb 3 Bert , i think Muric probably goes to the bench to be reminded of his purpose between sticks,i may be wrong of course.
1

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls