| Ipswich Town 5 v 0 Sheffield United EFL Championship Friday, 12th September 2025 Kick-off 20:00 |  |
Ipswich Town 5-0 Sheffield United - Match Report Friday, 12th Sep 2025 22:05 Jaden Philogene hit a hat-trick as Town ended their long wait for a home league win by thrashing Sheffield United 5-0 at Portman Road. Philogene opened the scoring in the 20th minute, then added an even better second on 51, before George Hirst made the most of dreadful defending to net the third in the 61st minute. Philogene completed his treble with his best of the night seven minutes later, before Jack Clarke completed a great night for Town, whose last home league win was against Chelsea on December 30th, on 78. The Blues made two changes from the team which drew 2-2 with Derby a fortnight ago with Darnell Furlong and Chuba Akpom coming into the team. Furlong, making his Town debut, replaced Ashley Young, who dropped out of the squad, at right-back with Akpom, making his full debut for the club, coming in for Conor Chaplin, who joined Portsmouth on loan on deadline day, in the number 10 role behind Hirst. Recent signings Marcelino Nunez and Sindre Walle Egeli were on the bench for the first time alongside another of the summer additions, Ivan Azon, and Sammie Szmodics, who was fit enough to be involved despite withdrawing from international action with Ireland due to a swollen ankle. Sheffield United handed debuts to former Blues central defender Mark McGuinness, who joined from Luton, and midfielder Alex Matos, who signed from Chelsea. Tom Cannon returning to the XI was a third change from their 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough prior to the international break with Gus Hamer and Tyrese Campbell dropping to the bench, while Tyler Bindon was left out of the squad. Former Town loanees Ben Godfrey and Louie Barry also started for the Blades. Town began the game on the front foot with the Portman Road crowd making plenty of noise. On two, Chuba Akpom fed Philogene out on the left and the former Aston Villa man cut inside but scuffed his shot through to visitors’ keeper Michael Cooper. The game went through a scrappy phase with the Blues giving the ball away too easily in their own half but with the Blades unable to make anything of the situations. On 11, Town were left wondering how they hadn’t gone in front. After good work from Jens Cajuste and Philogene on the left, Leif Davis sent over a low cross which was just too far in front of Hirst. Keeper Cooper got enough of a hand on the ball to divert it onto the top of Akpom’s head and away with the Blues otherwise certain to score. Within a minute, the Blues had another opportunity, Philogene shooting against Cooper from a tight angle on the left. In the 17th minute, Barry crossed from the left for the Blades and Callum O’Hare flicked a header off a Town defender and behind. Three minutes later, Cajuste deftly turned, feinted, then swept the ball wide to Kasey McAteer on the right. The Ireland man stopped and shot from an angle, Cooper saving, when crossing first time might have been a better option. But Town fans didn’t have to wait too much longer for a goal. On 20, Matos cut out a nothing McAteer pass on halfway from the right and inadvertently played a 40-yard cross-field ball to Philogene, who gleefully accepted the gift, cut in, dummied a shot, then curled a shot just inside Cooper’s left post. While the home crowd were still celebrating the ex-England U21 international’s first Portman Road goal, the Blues weren’t far away from making it 2-0. Davis burst down the left and sent over a low cross which flew across the box but behind all his teammates. Having gone in front, the Blues were well in control, although without creating a further chance until the 33rd minute when Hirst won the ball and Philogene found Akpom, whose low cross from the left failed to find a teammate. As the half moved into its final minute, the visitors struggled to deal with a Davis cross but Town were unable to get a clear strike at goal and the ball eventually ran through to Cooper. Moments before the whistle, McAteer shot through to the Blades keeper. The Blues deserved their lead at the break having been in control from the most part and having created virtually all the chances, while still looking a little scruffy at times. Philogene took his goal very confidently having hit a couple of earlier efforts, while McAteer had also had a couple of promising openings and Cooper’s hand prevented Akpom from opening his Town account. The Blades had passed the ball around neatly in spells but largely unthreateningly in their own half, looking very much a side at the bottom of the table without a win and having gone eight successive halves without a goal. A minute and a half after the restart, with the visiting fans calling for manager Ruben Selle’s head, O’Hare hit a low shot which failed to trouble Alex Palmer wide. After a break in play for a head injury for Azor Matisiwa, the Dutchman having received a kick to the head, the Blues doubled their lead. Akpom and Hirst exchanged passes in the centre circle before the Scotland international fed Philogene on the left. As Davis made a powerful run into the left of the box drawing a defender with him, Philogene cut in as he did on the first goal before hitting an unstoppable shot past Cooper to send the North Stand into uproar. On 54, McGuinness was shown the game’s first yellow card for tripping Akpom, then two minutes later Cajuste appeared to land awkwardly - and was holding his knee - as he won a header at the back post from Town’s first corner of the match, but was OK to carry on after treatment. The Blades struck their first on-target effort of the match on 59 but Cannon’s effort failed to test Palmer. And a minute after the hour mark, the Blues made it 3-0. Harrison Burrows badly scuffed a clearance on the edge of the area, playing in Hirst. Cooper came and the ball bounced off the keeper and striker wide, Hirst getting back on it and sizing up his options before hitting a low shot which went through the former Plymouth man’s legs. Sheffield-born Hirst, son of Wednesday legend David, delightedly celebrated his second goal of the season - and first from open play - in front of the North Stand, while the Blues made their first changes of the night, debutant Nunez and Szmodics replacing Cajuste and Akpom. On 62, the Blades made a quadruple change with Matos, Barry, Andre Brooks and Tom Cannon making way for Djibril Soumare, Hamer, Tahith Chong and Campbell. Soon after, Town thought they’d made it 4-0, Greaves feeding a ball through for Hirst on the left and the frontman finding the net only to see the linesman’s flag raised for a tight but probably correct offside. But the fourth goal didn’t take too much longer. Furlong, who had put in a solid debut, won the ball midway inside the Town half on the right and found Philogene on the edge of the area from where the forward smashed the best of his three goals into the roof of Cooper’s net with his left foot before celebrating delightedly. Effervescent Town continued to look for goals with their confidence having grown the longer the game wore on. On 71, the Blues switched hat-trick hero Philogene, who was warmly cheered off the Blues’ support before receiving a hug from manager Kieran McKenna, Hirst and McAteer for Jack Clarke, Azon and Sindre Walle Egeli. Three minutes later, the Blues almost created a fifth, Nunez crossing from the left to Szmodics, who failed to connect properly on his volley and Cooper saved. However, a fifth goal wasn’t far off. After Walle Egeli’s shot had been blocked, Clarke forced his way beyond Godfrey on the edge of the box when he was very much second best before hitting a shot into the net, again through the hapless Cooper’s legs. There was no let-up from the Blues, Walle Egeli seeing a shot deflect wide as the Norwegian looked for a debut goal. Godfrey was replaced on 83 to jeers from the home fans Femi Seriki taking over. As the game moved into its final five minutes, Palmer was forced into a rare save, Campbell turning a cross from the left into his arms from close range. On 87, Clarke picked up a loose pass and played in Szmodics on the left of the area but Cooper was out quickly to save. In the final scheduled minute, a frustrated Japhet Tanganga was booked for clattering into Azon. Nunez had a chance to make it six four minutes into injury time but curled a 25-yard free-kick just over, Town fans having seen the Chilean score from a similar position a couple of seasons ago. And that was the last action of a big night and a big win for Town, whose 2025/26 season got properly under way. Similarly, Philogene’s Blues career, which made something of a false start last season before injury curtailed his campaign with many fans having been critical of his signing, has now got properly started. The ex-Villa man was Town’s biggest danger from the beginning, cutting in from the left as the Blues broke on the Blades at pace and hitting powerful strikes which gave Cooper no hope. Philogene, who hadn’t previously hit a hat-trick during his career, is the first Town player to score three since Chaplin in the 6-0 victory over Charlton in April 2023. The Blades looked every bit a side at the bottom of the table, lacking confidence, all over the place at the back at times and a shambles by the end. Manager Selles’s time at the club looks to be set for an early end, something which their fans, who kept singing to the end despite their parlous position, would be delighted to see. The win, a much-needed one, is the Blues’ first at Portman Road in the league this year and their first of the season, while the clean sheet ends a run of 23 matches without one, a club record, and is Palmer’s first. The three points move Town up to 11th ahead of tomorrow’s games but more than that have turned the mood at the club around following the shaky start. The Blues are next in action at Blackburn next Saturday. Town: Palmer, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Greaves, Davis, Matusiwa, Cajuste (Nunez 63), McAteer (Walle Egeli 71), Akpom (Szmodics 63), Philogene (J Clarke 71), Hirst (Azon 71). Unused: Walton, Kipre, Johnson, Taylor. Sheffield United: Cooper, Tanganga, Godfrey (Seriki 83), Cannon (Campbell 62), O’Hare, Brooks (Chong 62), Burrows, McGuinness, Barry (Hamer 62), Matos (Soumare 62), Peck (c). Unused: A Davies, McCallum, Mee, One. Referee: Farai Hallam (Surrey). Att: 28,012 (Blades: 1,234).
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