| Ipswich Town 1 v 1 Southampton EFL Championship Sunday, 17th August 2025 Kick-off 12:00 |  |
Ipswich Town 1-1 Southampton - Match Report Sunday, 17th Aug 2025 14:04 The Blues ended their record nine-game run of home defeats as they drew 1-1 with Southampton at Portman Road. The Blues took an early lead via a Taylor Harwood-Bellis own goal on four, but Jay Robinson levelled for Southampton with a header in the 29th minute with Sammie Szmodics going closest to winning it in the second half when he struck the post. Town made one change from the team which opened the season at Birmingham nine days ago with Jaden Philogene making his first appearance of the season following the ankle injury he suffered at Auxerre in the final friendly. The former Hull City and Aston Villa man came into the team for Chieo Ogbene, who dropped to the bench, starting on the left with Jack Clarke switching to the right. Sammie Szmodics was the number 10 and George Hirst the out-and-out striker. Azor Matusiwa made his home debut in the centre of midfield alongside Jack Taylor, while Ben Johnson, skipper Dara O’Shea, Jacob Greaves and Leif Davis were again the back four behind keeper Alex Palmer. Jens Cajuste was on the bench for the first time since returning to the club, but there was no place for Chuba Akpom, who felt some muscle tightness in training in the week. Ali Al-Hamadi dropped out of the 20-man squad with youngster Leon Ayinde on the bench for a league game for the first time. Southampton made two changes from the team which beat Wrexham 2-1 on the opening day with England defender Harwood-Bellis, who returned from injury in the 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Northampton in the week, and the West Ham-linked Mateus Fernandes coming in for Ronnie Edwards and Yuki Sugawara, who were among the subs. Also on the bench was highly rated youngster Tyler Dibling, who had looked set to join Everton, while Damion Downs and Ross Stewart were absent due to illness. Former Blues midfielder Flynn Downes started alongside ex-loanee Ryan Fraser with one-time Town loan keeper Alex McCarthy on the bench. With the home crowd having given them a big welcome as they made their way onto the pitch, Town started brightly with Davis and Clarke sending crosses in from either flank in the third minute with the Saints defence looking at sixes and sevens. And the fourth minute, the Blues went in front. Szmodics forced an error on the Town right with tight pressing, Welington played a pass back to Joshua Quarshie, who let it run behind him on the edge of his own area, allowing Hirst to nip in ahead of him and gain possession. The Scotland international was at too tight an angle to shoot but was able to cut back to Clarke, whose mis-hit effort was going a long way wide until Harwood-Bellis diverted it into his own net with his arm.  After defending a couple of corners at the other end, the Blues, with the home fans continuing to make a noise, went close to a second from a flag-kick of their own on the left at the other, Hirst rising highest but flicking his header beyond the far post. There was a scare for the Blues in the 18th minute when Adam Armstrong moved the ball across the area to Welington in space on the left but Robinson got in his teammate’s way and the ball ended up bobbling well wide. Southampton were starting to get more into it after a shaky start, however, and on 20 Greaves made a not overly comfortable clearance from a ball into the area and a minute later O’Shea turned a cross from the left behind. On 23, Shea Charles was very fortunate to avoid a yellow card after clattering into the back of Matusiwa’s ankles just inside the Town half, the Dutchman’s cry of anguish having been audible from the stands. From the free-kick, Taylor played a ball over the Saints’ defence to Szmodics on the left of the area, the forward failing to get a clean contact and the ball bouncing wide. The former Blackburn man landed awkwardly on his left knee and needed treatment as a result but was OK to continue, much to the relief of the home support. In the 29th minute, Greaves brought the ball out from the back before losing possession midway inside the Saints’ half. And from the subsequent break the visitors equalised. Davis was unable to get on a ball out to Fraser on the right and the ex-Blues loanee had a free run down the flank. His first low cross was blocked by Taylor but it was played back to him by Fernandes and the Scot crossed to the edge of the six-yard area and Robinson headed down and past Palmer, the 18-year-old’s first senior goal. It was a poor one to concede from a Town perspective with Greaves stepping out having left them short as Southampton counter-attacked.  On 34, Downes fouled Davis on the Blues’ left, the full-back sending over a deep free-kick which O’Shea nodded back across goal, keeper Gavin Bazunu needing to backpedal to claim on his line. The linesman raised his flag, although with video footage showed that the Irishman was well onside. Five minutes later, Philogene won the ball on halfway, sending Hirst away. The striker took it on past two defenders before hitting a low shot which Bazunu blocked when Clarke to his right was a better option. Southampton quickly turned defence into attack, forcing Palmer out of his goal to midway inside Town’s half where he momentarily looked to be in trouble under pressure but O’Shea cleared. Saints right wing-back Welington was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 41st minute for the latest in a succession of fouls on Clarke after the ball had gone, Charles having taken a similar approach on Matusiwa without referee Bobby Madley taking similar action. Taylor joined the Brazilian international in the book soon afterwards having skipped past a number of defenders before Harwood-Bellis blocked the former Posh midfielder. The Irish international managed to stay on the ball but was penalised for man-handling the defender by referee Madley, then was cautioned for his frustrated reaction, much to the anger of the Portman Road support. Matusiwa joined his fellow midfielder in Madley’s book for a foul on Charles as the half moved into injury time, the ex-Reims man clearly feeling he’d been hard done by given some of Charles’s early challenges on him. That was the last action of a half which had started very positively for the Blues, grabbing an important early goal having got on top in the early stages. However, Southampton had come into the game more as the half wore on and deserved their equaliser. Clear-cut chances continued to be rare at both ends but with the Saints more in control in the latter stages. Town were first to threaten after the restart, Taylor looping a header over from a Davis free-kick in the 47th minute. And within a minute, the Blues went even closer. Hirst received a pass from Philogene, rolled Jack Stephens and played a pass into the path of Szmodics, who took it wide to the left before hitting a shot across Bazunu that the Irish international touched onto his post. The ball bounced fortuitously into the keeper’s arms. After Charles had wafted a shot well wide and a subsequent Saints attack had been snuffed out on the edge of the area, the Blues threatened again. Szmodics crossed from the right, the ball struck Stephens and looped into the air beyond the far post where Philogene attempted a spectacular scissors kick, which flew deep into the stand. Town were looking the more dangerous side, particularly on the break, and on 55 Davis made a strong burst from deep before a ball through for Szmodics was cut out. Moments later, the Saints swapped Welington, who was in danger of a second yellow card, for Ryan Manning. Armstrong was lucky not to be booked for a very late challenge on Matusiwa, who was evidently being targeted by the Saints players, presumably to get a reaction with his former Reims manager Still knowing him well, then on 58 the Saints striker charged down Palmer, the keeper’s clearance ricocheting behind. As the game passed the hour mark, the Blues won a corner on the right, Hirst’s far-post header from Davis’s ball in hitting a defender and going behind for another flag-kick. This time Philogene’s ball flashed across the box with Greaves failing to get a touch as he fell. Town had been the better and more threatening side in the second half but in the 66th minute, Palmer was forced into a sharp save after Robinson went past Johnson on the left of the box and struck a low effort down to the keeper’s right post. Three minutes later, Saints switched Fernandes and Robinson, who had put in an impressive display, for Kuryu Matsuki and Cameron Archer. Town made their first changes of the afternoon in the 72nd minute, Ogbene, Conor Chaplin and, for his second debut for the club, Jens Cajuste taking over from Philogene, Clarke and Taylor. The Blues felt they should have been awarded a penalty a minute later when Szmodics chased down a poor back header from Stephens and collided with his international colleague Bazunu. However, the keeper got a touch on the ball before the contact and referee Madley appeared to have made the right decision. Town continued to look the most likely scorers of the game’s third goal and on 79 a Johnson ball from the right reached Davis deep on the left, the full-back skipping past a man before shooting wide from angle. As the match moved into its final 10 minutes, Armstrong again escaped a booking for a late challenge on Matusiwa. On 83, Saints replaced Armstrong with Dibling and Fraser for Sugawara Town made their final two changes in the 86th minute, Ashley Young and Cameron Humphreys coming on for Johnson and Matusiwa, who had just been fouled for the final time. Two minutes later, Ogbene was found in space on the right, the winger teeing-up Cajuste, whose shot was blocked. It eventually fell to Chaplin, booed by the visiting support for his Portsmouth connections, but his low effort flew wide. Quarshie shot well, well wide for the Saints before, in the second of five additional minutes Town came close to winning it. Davis’s free-kick was diverted back to the near post by a Saints defender and Chaplin was unable to get over his head and the ball looped over. The visitors had a spell in Town’s half as time began to run out. Charles was then booked for preventing the Blues from restarting play, much to the annoyance of Young. The Blues were attacking as the game ended, Chaplin nodding a Humphreys cross to Bazunu. A draw was a not unfair result but with Town having shaded it having been on top for most of the second half and having come closest to winning it when Szmodics struck the post. Unsurprisingly, the Blues look like a side in transition, having some good spells but also more disjointed moments, the Southampton goal being a case in point, while they caused themselves a few problems and fans a few minor heart attacked passing out from the back. Ultimately, a home draw with one of the other fancied sides is not a bad result at this stage of the season and with the Blues’ squad still very much in a state of flux with the transfer window still having two weeks to run. Town, still unbeaten but also without a win this season after two 1-1 draws with sides expected to join them in challenging for promotion, are next in action against Preston at Deepdale next Saturday afternoon. Town: Palmer, Johnson, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Davis, Matusiwa, Taylor (Cajuste 72), Clarke (Chaplin 72), Szmodics, Philogene (Ogbene 72), Hirst. Unused: Walton, Kipre, Woolfenden, Young, Humphreys, Ayinde. Southampton: Bazunu, Fraser (Sugawara 83), Harwood-Bellis, Stephens (c), Quarshie, Welington (Manning 56), Downes, Charles, Fernandes (Matsuki 69), Robinson (Archer 69), Armstrong (Dibling 83). Unused: McCarthy, Edwards, Wood, Brereton-Diaz. Referee: Bobby Madley (West Yorkshire). Attorney: 29,128 (Southampton: 1,978).
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