| Ipswich Town 2 v 2 Derby County EFL Championship Saturday, 30th August 2025 Kick-off 15:00 |  |
Ipswich Town 2-2 Derby County - Match Report Saturday, 30th Aug 2025 17:20 Jack Clarke’s 106th-minute penalty claimed a point for the Blues as they drew 2-2 at home to Derby County. Jacob Greaves’s first goal at Portman Road put Town ahead on 33 with the Blues very much on top before the break. But a Carlton Morris penalty five minutes after the restart changed the game and, after Town were denied a blatant spot-kick of their own when George Hirst was fouled, the Rams went ahead through Rhian Brewster on 70, before sub Clarke netted Town’s penalty, awarded for a foul on Jack Taylor, deep in injury time. Town made four changes from the team which was beaten 1-0 at Preston North End a week ago with Jens Cajuste, Kasey McAteer, Ashley Young and Conor Chaplin all coming into the side. Cajuste, making his second full debut for the club, replaced Jack Taylor in the centre of midfield with the Ireland international on the bench. Young was given his first league start for the club at right-back with Ben Johnson among the subs. McAteer made his full debut on the right of the forwards with Clarke dropping to the bench, alongside Sammie Szmodics with Chaplin, making 150th appearance for Town under Kieran McKenna, replacing him as the number 10. New signings Ivan Azon and Darnell Furlong were both named among the substitutes, but there was no place for either Chieo Ogbene or Luke Woolfenden. For Derby, former Blues loanee Lewis Travis was handed his debut following his move from Blackburn, while ex-Town central defender Matt Clarke and one-time loanee Callum Elder were also in the starting line-up. Kayden Jackson was on the bench. Two minutes into the game, referee Leigh Doughty angered the Town team and fans when he gave a free-kick against Greaves just outside the area to the right. The centre-half had challenged Bobby Clark and sent the ball into the on-loan Liverpool man’s face and away, the officials somehow deciding a foul had been committed. Fortunately, Brewster smashed his free-kick into the Town wall and no damage was done. On 11, Hirst played in McAteer on the right, the former Leicester man cutting back inside before sending over a cross which a defender diverted back to keeper Jacob Zetterstrom. As the game reached the quarter-hour mark, good work from Cajuste played in Jaden Philogene on the left but the former England U21 international’s cross was too long. Two minutes later at the other end, the Blues failed to clear following a corner and eventually the ball fell to Morris on the left of the box, but the former Luton man’s shot flew well wide having clipped off a Town player on its way, The Blues were controlling the game, while still looking less than their coherent best at times, and in the 20th minute, Chaplin got away on the right and crossed deep, the ball falling for Leif Davis, who shot into the ground through to Zetterstrom. A minute later, Cajuste, dictating everything from the centre of midfield, tried a one-two with his former Reims teammate Matusiwa but a defender’s toe got in the way of the Sweden international’s return ball to the Dutchman. The game went through a scruffy spell with free-kicks and a clash between Clark and Matusiwa at a Town throw which led to an angry exchange between Young and Travis. In the 28th minute, a well-worked Blues move saw Matusiwa find Davis out on the left and the full-back’s cross was diverted out for a corner from which Greaves rose highest but nodded over. Three minutes later, Town played it out from the back quickly, keeper Alex Palmer moving it forward to Cajuste, who skipped past Travis and found Philogene, who in turn fed Davis breaking outside him. The ex-Leeds man’s ball found Chaplin, but the forward scuffed to Zetterstrom. On 33, with the Blues looking increasingly dangerous, Philogene cut back from a similar area to Chaplin but this time the former Portsmouth attacker’s effort was diverted wide by Rams skipper Ebou Adams. And from the corner, Town took the lead. Young whipped the ball in from the left, Zetterstrom completely missed it and Greaves stooped to nod in his first goal of the season and first at Portman Road ahead of the hesitant Craig Forsyth. In the 35th minute, Elder was booked for his reaction to referee Leigh Doughty giving a free-kick against him. Travis shot wide for the visitors then Young smashed a superb strike just past Zetterstrom’s right post off Forsyth. Following the corner, Chaplin looped a deep ball to the far post and the Derby keeper dropped the ball under pressure from McAteer. Referee Doughty awarded a very harsh free-kick against the Irish international and then booked him for his protests. In the 40th minute, Cajuste, looking a level above everyone else on the pitch, outrageously flicked the ball behind him to Chaplin, who moved it on to Philogene, the ball taking a deflection and forcing the ex-Aston Villa winger wide, and he shot into the side-netting. As the half moved into injury time, Hirst seized on some loose Derby passing and played in McAteer on the right, Clarke blocking his low cross, with his hand, according to the Town winger, but not the referee. From Davis’s corner, O’Shea headed against the far post with Greaves just unable to get onto the rebound. That was the last action of a half the Blues had, after some battling early exchanges, controlled throughout. Cajuste’s addition to the midfield had given Town greater cohesion in midfield with the on-loan Napoli man easily slipping back into the team alongside his teammate from Ligue 1 Matusiwa. Chances had started to come more frequently just before the goal and the Blues had further opportunities after that, while Derby’s main threat had come from corners and free-kicks but with Town having been able to negate the danger. The Blues began the second half on the front foot but two minutes after the restart Derby were awarded a penalty. Brewster was allowed to get away behind the Town backline and took it to the left before hitting a shot. Davis dived in to block and the ball struck his right arm. After consulting with his assistant, referee Doughty pointed to the spot. Morris took the kick and hit it to Palmer’s right with the keeper going the other way. The Town players protested that the Morris had hit the ball against his standing foot as he took it but neither referee Doughty showed any interest. The goal extended Town’s run of games without a clean sheet to a new record of 23. In the 54th minute, the Blues were denied a penalty of their own, one which looked as stonewall as they come. Matusiwa played in Hirst on the left of the box and Clarke tripped the Scotland international as he went past him. Inexplicably, Doughty gave a free-kick against Hirst and booked the Town striker. A minute later, Derby captain Adams joined him in the book for a late challenge on Matusiwa with play already having been stopped for an early foul. From the free-kick, Town should have restored their lead. The ball was played to Philogene, who clipped towards the far post where it was nodded back to Hirst who should have scored but headed straight at Zetterstrom. Just before the hour, Morris crossed from the right, the ball reaching Brewster, whose shot was blocked by O’Shea, the two subsequently colliding as the Town captain sought to complete the clearance. Former Blues loanee Travis was very fortunate not to be shown a red card on his Town debut after stamping on Cajuste, the Sweden international having been tripped by Clark. Referee Doughty, who was in danger of losing control of the game, showed only a yellow card despite the protests of the Town players. On 68, the Blues swapped Hirst, McAteer and Chaplin for Chuba Akpom, Clarke and Szmodics, Philogene moving to the right. And two minutes later, the visitors took the lead. O’Shea mis-controlled a long clearance from Zetterstrom and Brewster again broke away towards the area and shot low past Palmer to the keeper’s left, to give the Rams a lead which had looked wholly unlikely at the break. As the game moved towards the final quarter of an hour, the Town players and fans remonstrated angrily with referee Doughty once again as Forsyth took to the turf for very lengthy treatment despite little appearing wrong with him, not the first Rams player to have taken similar action in the second half. Once play restarted, Derby’s Clark was yellow-carded for a foul on Town’s Clarke on halfway. Cajuste, who had been quiet after the break, was swapped for Taylor in the 79th minute with the Blues having failed to show the same fluency as in the first half since the Derby equaliser. The Rams made a double change in the 81st minute, Travis, who was booed by his old supporters as he left the field for the challenge on Cajuste, and Brewster making way for David Ozoh and Jackson, who was warmly applauded onto the field by his former fans. The Blues continued to huff and puff, Dion Sanderson picking up an 85th-minute yellow card for stopping Town from taking a free-kick. A minute later, after a Matusiwa shot from a Davis cross had scuffed wide, Azon was handed his Blues debut, taking over from the left-back as Town threw everything into attack. Clark shot wide for the Rams following a free-kick in the 88th minute, before Akpom brought the ball in from the right and hit a 25-yards strike only just over for the Blues, their closest effort of the second half. In the final scheduled minute, Clarke cut in from the left but shot well wide. Derby switched Clark for Andreas Weimann. Almost immediately, the fourth official’s board announced 13 additional minutes, largely for time-wasting by the visitors. The lengthy additional time boosted home fans’ hopes of a comeback with the volume briefly raised. Within seconds Elder took to the floor to bring the game to a halt once again. Derby replaced Max Johnston and Elder with Ryan Nyambe and Danny Batth in the sixth minute of time added on, referee Doughty allowing the Rams an age to make the changes. In the 100th minute, Philogene took down a Greaves cross from the left, cut inside but shot high and wide. Two minutes later, Clarke crossed from the left, Greaves flicked it on and Azon, who appeared to be relishing the physical battle, was unable to get anything on the ball under pressure. On 103, Young looped in a free-kick from the left, Azon headed it up in the air towards goal but Clarke’s shot was blocked. A minute later, Town were awarded the penalty they should have been given earlier in the half. Young sent in a left-footed cross from the right, Sanderson headed it back across his box under pressure from Azon to Taylor, who was upended by sub Ozoh. Referee Doughty pointed straight to the spot and booked Ozoh with Morris subsequently joining him during lengthy Derby protests. Clarke took the kick and beat Zetterstrom to the keeper’s left to send Portman Road into ecstasy. The home crowd sensed a late, late victory of they type they became used to in the Championship two seasons ago but as the Blues went looking for their third referee Doughty ended proceedings. A draw was the least the Blues deserved over the afternoon having been very much on top in the first half. The first Derby goal so soon after the break knocked them off their stride and they struggled to regain their first-half control with Cajuste, who had been excellent in the first period tiring. Despite that, the Blues should have been awarded a penalty for the foul on Hirst, while the Scotland striker missed a golden chance to make it 2-1. Referee Doughty had poor game from start - the early foul given against Greaves - to virtually finish, allowing Derby to break up the flow of the second half with regular lengthy stoppages and failing to send off Travis for the stamp on Cajuste. Town will be disappointed to have conceded the second goal and looked to have little conviction in the latter stages, struggling to find a way through a massed defence as they did at Preston, but kept plugging away and, as at Birmingham in the opening match, got their reward via the penalty, Clarke tucking his first of the season away confidently. Still no win for the Blues going into the international break, but a first-half display which was a step up from previous displays and a late point from what ultimately was a tough second half. Town: Palmer, Young, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Davis (Azon 86), Cajuste (Taylor 78), Matusiwa, McAteer (J Clarke 68), Chaplin (Szmodics 68), Philogene, Hirst (Akpom 68). Unused: Walton, Kipre, Johnson, Furlong. Derby: Zetterstrom, Sanderson, Clarke, Forsyth, Johnston (Nyambe 96), Travis (Ozoh 71), Adams (c), Elder (Batth 96), Clark (Weimann 91), Brewster (Jackson 81), Morris. Unused: Vickers, Salvesen, Thompson, Ward. Referee: Leigh Doughty (Blackpool). Att: 29,155.
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