That’s it from me, but check back here and on site for our match report. Of course, we’ve also got you covered for the late game, but otherwise, peace out. Villa, then stay fifth, two points off leaders Liverpool, while Ipswich move up from 18th to 15th. If they keep playing to that level, they’ve a really good chance of staying up. FULL TIME: Ipswich 2-2 Aston Villa That was a really fun match, Liam Delap scoring twice more to earn his side a highly creditable draw. Villa miss the opportunity to go top but will know they didn’t deserve more than a point. 90+6 min Now Philogene goes down the right for Villa but he’s easily dispossessed and that’ll be that. 90+5 … but VAR wants a look at a handball … quickly deciding there wasn’t one. So the corner comes in, a header over the top looks dangerous, and there are, I think, three attackers in offside positions. 90+5 min Two defenders miss their clearances, Duran’s going behind, so here comes yet another corner… 90+4 min Villa are holding on! Ipswich force another corner, and this place will lift off if they can find a winner.. 93 min Ipswich go short and Davis works it back to Taylor, on the edge. He unfurls a curler, but it’s straight at Martinez who saves easily enough. 90+3 min Ipswich win a corner down the right… 90+1 min Two further changes for Ipswich: Longo and Szmodics for Delap and Clarke. 90 min We’ll have five additional minutes. 90 min Ipswich have again played well, but could really use a win – though, as I type, Duran accelerates into space, hungry like the wolf. But just as the reflex of shooting looks to take him away form this ordinary world, he comes undone when Greaves slides in to make a terrific tackle. 89 min But here’s Barkley picking up possession 22 or so yards out, wellying a shot that Muric fists away. 88 min Villa, who’ve scored four late goals so fat this season – no one else has more – haven’t got near the Ipswich goal in quite some time. 86 min “This game has made me feel at least six months younger than I did at the start,” advises Simon McMahon. “But then I aged a year yesterday following my own team’s topsy-turvy 3-3 draw, so you know, swings and roundabouts.” Imagine if age were fluid. Sorry Mr T.H.E Man, I’m four years old today. 85 min And Buendia lofts a donkey over the bar. 85 min It’s not easy to get this ball up and down… 83 min Clever oblique pass from Tielemans into Duran, who accepts on the half-turn … so Taylor flattens him. Free-kick on the edge, left of centre, and Villa replace Digne, Tielemans and Watkins with Barkley, Buendia and Maatsen before it can be taken. Digne is not best pleased; Buendia will go for goal… 81 min Here come Ipswich again! A clever pass out of defence from Taylor finds Burns, who draws a man towards him only to delay his offload to Clarke, haring alongside … such that when the square-pass comes, it’s not in front of him and his low shot is blocked easily enough. That was a big chance. 79 min Morsy carries forward and finds Taylor, who finds Delap roaming in the box. He can’t quite manage his roulette, but attempting it shows just how confident he’s feeling. 78 min Onana, though, who’s been quiet today, heads clear then Hutchinson hammers high. Villa are under pressure! 77 min Ipswich are coming now, another left-wing cross eventually knocked behind for a corner which Clarke’ll take. 76 min Can either side find a winner? Delap, of course, is on a hat-trick, and it says something about Manchester City’s set-up that it produced both him and Cole Palmer, neuther of whom were deemed good enough for the champions. 74 min Greaves fouls someone, I missed who, and is booked. WHAT A GOAL! Ipswich Town 2-2 Aston Villa (Delap 72) Konsa misplaces a pass and Ipswich counter, Hutchinson finding Delap out on the left. He immediately sets off for goal and, when Diego Carlos comes to challenge, a stepover inside sends him dashing in that direction to build himself a new home, while Delap dashes outside and hammers a finish across Martinez! Liam Delap is on one! 71 min Gosh, Morsy is late on Philogene, introducing studs to metatarsus; somehow, the ref refrains from flourishing a second yellow card, and though I want players staying on, I’m not certain I get the rationale there, because that tackle deserved a caution and almost always gets one. 69 min Double change for Ipswich, Taylor and Burns for Phillips and Ogbene. 67 min Again, Ipswich get Davis in space down the left, but with men in the middle, he opts to aim for the near post, slicing wide, when anything across goal might’ve allowed a rebound had Martinez not held the shot. 65 min “Is it just me or is this fixture is far more entertaining than yesterday’s turgid Liverpool match?” wonders Everton’s Mary Waltz. I didn’t see all of that, but the Wolves goal was essential viewing. Otherwise, though, this game was excellent in the first half, less so since. 64 min And here come the changes: off go Bailey and Rogers, on come Philogene and Duran. 63 min The home fans try to get their team going, Duran and Philogene waiting to come on for Villa. That’s some exciting attacking depth they’ve got there. 61 min Clarke wedges a ball over the top and in behind, but Villa are well-drilled and commit to what their manager demands of them, their squeeze meaning no one can run through while remaining onside. 59 min Which manager will dip into his bench first? Neither is really doing very much so McKenna needs to make something happen, while Emery has midweek to consider. Meantime, Tuanzebe nods a high ball into the box across, it hits Tuanzebe – there are muted penalty appeals – and Morsy shoots wide form the edge. 57 min Morsy clatters Tielemans and, having already been booked, he needs to be careful. 57 min “Watkins’ leap,” says Daniel Smith, “Looks to be a combination of Dr. J(Julius Erving), and Michael Jordan; basically walking on air.” 56 min Ipswich build through midfield only for Delap to spread wide … to no one. 55 min Tielemans brings the ball clear and, in pursuit, Tuanzebe runs across the back of him, clipping heels; he’s booked. 53 min Davis again finds space, meeting a diags with a cushioned-volley-pass that sends Clarke away down the left. His cross is stuck behind for a corner … which comes to nowt. 51 min It’s been a scrappy start to the second half, which, with the insertion of brackets, viz A Scrappy Start (To The Second Half) sounds like a late-era-Britpop dirge-single. 49 min Sky’s commentator ponders The autumnal Suffolk sunshine”, the line Keats wishes he wrote, and I’m choking up here. 48 min In the picture above, does Ollie Watkins look like he’s trying a slam dunk into the symbol on the stand? Or, er, not? 46 min Nice from Digne, stepping away to allow Ramsey to proceed down the left. The attack comes to nowt, then Digne is booked either for fouling Ogbene or kicking the ball away; if he played for Arsenal, he’d have been red-carded for two yellow-card offences, shrills the internet. 46 min We go again… Back come our teams… “Ssunrise greetings from California,” begins Mary Waltz. “As a representative of the elderly (born well before the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan), I can impart this wisdom. Turmeric, ginger, saffron, and all of the wonder spices are so good for you, but instead of the depressing green drinks, learn how to prepare your veg properly and your eating experience will vastly improve. Roasting over boiling. Prepping an eggplant and zucchini curry recipe for lunch and chicken thighs with the aforementioned spices for supper. Ageing sucks but good food eases the pain.” It’s not a prep thing with me – I just can’t stomach veg. If I could, I would. Half-time entertainment: HALF-TIME: Ipswich Town 1-2 Aston Villa Ipswich have done pretty well – they ought to have scored at least once more – but Villa are a classy operation and, in Emi Martinez, they have a goalie who consistently does the right things at the right times. 45+2 min Morsy shoves over Rogers and is booked for repetitive fouling, then Delap sees yellow for being facety. 45 min We’ll have three additional minutes. 45 min Villa might want to think about containing Leif Davis, because so much of Ipswich’s good work is coming through him. They might ask Bailey to mind him, or have Onana occupy the half-space that he’s looking to utilise inside Konsa. 43 min …which is cleared then, when Hutchinson crosses from the right, Martinez collects, bashing into Torres in the process, then has a little lie-down. 42 min Ipswich win a corner down the right, the excellent Davis with it… 40 min “I reckon a discussion of whether you really can be younger now than you were then is pretty existential,” returns Richard Hirst; he’ll be delighted to know that I agree with him. But just to be on the safe side, let’s make a pact: Greek yoghurt and flax seeds at half-time. 40 min O’Shea runs into Watkins’ elbow and enjoys the experience every bit as much as you’d think he would. 38 min NOOOOOO! Ipswich work Villa’s high line and Davis sends Delap bisoning through the middle! Ye’ve gottae score! But he opens his body to pass into the near-post corner, body language showing a man mentally wheeling away in celebration, but Martinez somehow extends a boot to save with his studs! He shouldn’t have smelt it, but that’s a fine save. 36 min VIpswich win another corner on the left and when the ball in isn’t properly cleared, reaching Phillips on the edge, he unloads the suitcase on a shot that has Martinez flying across his goal to tip around the post. The resultant corner comes to nowt 34 min How is Jack Clarke feeling now? He’ll know he should’ve scored to make it 2-1, but at the same time, he can’t legislate for two defenders allowing the opposition’s most likely scorer to roam about the penalty box with the ball sent wide. GOAL! Ipswich Town 1-2 Aston Villa (Watkins 32) This is a goal both simple and complex, Villa cleverly working the ball from side to side, infield then out again, so Bailey, now in space, can loop a tremendous cross into the box where Watkins, loitering in between Tuanzebe and O’Shea, leaps to head back across Muric and in. The composure with which Villa have responded to going behind evidences a side in perfect equilibrium. 31 min “Hey Daniel; last time your existential subtext for the liveblog was whether Brentford actually exists,” recalls Karen Asad. “What are you cooking this time?” I’m going for physical rather than spiritual existentialism this time, hence green juice. But we’ll see where we get to, the game is but young. 29 min Hutchinson into Davis, who flicks beautifully for Delap, moving through the middle. But a ball out wide doesn’t find whoever it was intended to find, so Villa are back knocking it about, Ipswich defending them in a 4-4-2 out-of-possession structure. 27 min Bailey sends Watkins out wide, but defenders surround him and Villa play to the opposite flank. Ipswich are shutting them down well, but need to fid themselves an out-ball because it won’t always be possible for them to play out. 26 min On which point, The Deuce might be the best telly I’ve seen in the last decade, but it wasn’t as feted as plenty of other shows that are far less brilliant. If you’ve not seen it, I urge you to get involved. 24 min “You’re right that baby blue would not be the kind of colour football shorts should be,” writes Simon Williams, “so it’s lucky that Villa’s are actually ‘Glow Blue’ according to the manufacturer. Very different blues. Very different.” Sounds like a pamphlet one might purchase in The Deuce. 22 min So far, Ipswich are doing a pretty decent job of limiting space in central-midfield, forcing Villa wide to make things happen. 21 min This has been a really fun first quarter, both sides committing to attack and largely refraining from the “tedious tapping” that some know “baiting the press” 19 min Here come Ipswich again, moving Villa about before freeing Davis down the left. And his cross is a goodun too, coaxed into the middle and Clarke is there in between the centre-backs! But he can’t get his body into the right position, sending a header over the top when really, yevegottaescore. 18 min Villa win a free-kick 30 yards out, left of centre, which Dasvis swings out, and Tuanzebe’s up … but his looping header sails just over the top. 16 min VAR is checking a potential handball from Rogers … and decides everything’s fine. GOAL! Ipswich Town 1-1 Aston Villa (Rogers 15) Ogbene makes a mess off things down the left but Ipswich resolve the immediate danger … only for Greaves to wallop a clearance directly at Rogers, who kills it superbly, exchanges delicate pokes with Watkins, and slaps a shot across Muric and in. He knows something. 13 min “Good morning from Pittsburgh!”; good morning Erik Peterson. |I see the plaudits Ipswich Town are rightfully receiving for going three games unbeaten since their opening gauntlet of Liverpool and Manchester City, but they don’t go far enough. Three seasons ago, their Old Farm counterparts Norwich City, also newly promoted, faced that exact same pair of opening fixtures and were clobbered by a collective 8-0. They lost their next four as well, went winless in 10, and were still rooted to the table-floor when the season ended. Going up to the Premier League and knowing how much more punishment is in store for you after you dominated the second tier the year before is hard enough. For Ipswich to already settle themselves enough to do what they’ve done in the last three games, for me, is astonishing.” McKenna has done a ridiculous job. It’s only a suspicion, but I think if he had a more obviously alpha personality, he’d have been offered a job he’d have struggled to turn down last summer. 12 min Torres is down in the Ipswich box clutching his coupon, having had a palm introduced to the back of his head. No foul, say the officials. 1o min Martinez will probably feel he should’ve saved Delap’s shot, but it was hit quickly and with the keeper’s weight moving in the other direction. Maybe a commemorative tatt is in order. GOAL! Ipswich Town 1-0 Aston Villa (Delap 8) NOW THEN! Konsa’s poked clearance is poor and Phillips plays a smart pass down the left side of the box for Clarke, who cuts back well, for Delap to drill inside the near post, the ball too close to Martinez for him to impart a strong enough hand. Ipswich score with their first attack! 7 min Villa’s shorts are baby blue, which doesn’t seem like the kind of colour a football short should be. Meantime, Ipswich attack down the left and eventually work the ball back to Morsy on the edge, whose shot is blocked by Hutchinson, his own player. But they sustain the attack… 5 min “A game in 1992 ‘for the elderly’!” wonders Richard Hirst. “What does that make someone who saw his first game in 1965?” So much older then, they’re younger than that now, would be my calculation. 3 min I really like Portman Road – the design of the ground makes it look like the stands hang over the pitch, But for now, it’s Villa moving the ball, probing as Ipswich sit off, so Tielemans has a dip, his swerving effort too high and too central. But Ipswich should never have allowed him the chance to set and shoot. 2 min “Your juice sounds great and should sort you out for whatever this afternoon’s entertainment serves up,” counsels Jeremy Boyce. “Turmeric is a miracle spice, good for everything, especially staining everything yellow, ginger isn’t far behind it, and kale has (according to a woman friend who has osteoporosis) an incredible amount of calcium in it. I’m going to try that myself...” Tell me about it. Just last week I banged my glass container and the thing smashed, sending the aforementuoned nectar all over. I was liveblogging at the time too, so had to keep going while cleaning, and then of course the floor was stained yellow. Nevertheless, I was extremely relieved, which sounds odd, until I conclude the sentence with “that my wife was in the office”. 1 min Away we go! A minute’s applause for David Rose, former Ipswich secretary, who died on the ninth of this month. I wonder if Liam Delap will stick himself on Pau Torres who, for all his touch lacks the power and pace you’d want in a centre-back. Delap has the physical tools to bully him, if the service is right. I will, though, allow this all-time banger. Here come our teams! How can it possibly be that in 2024, we’re hearing Fat Boy Slim over the PA? Surely we can consign all of that to right there, right then? For the elderly, this game means this goal: I’ve just necked a pint of green juice, green juice comprising kale, blueberries, ginger, turmeric and carrots on the basis that I can’t eat vegetables but can hoy any drink past the tastebuds. Today can only get better. On telly, they’re talking about Jhon Duran, who’s sub again. I need to see more of him – banging in from distance isn’t a sustainable approach to goalscoring – but he’s got so many attributes, so is a really exciting talent and, if he keeps on improbving, won’t settle for coming off the bench for long. Kieran McKenna says his side will do all they can to make the game competitive. It’s about learning – so many new players, so many new to the league, but it’s still very early in the season and they’re trying to improve in every game. Ipswich haven’t played at home for a month, but the atmosphere they’ve created in the ground and intensity of their style makes it a big advantage. Sky have just looked back at Ipswich’s 2000-01 season, in which Marcus Stewart was the hero. He seems like a proper sound character and, though he now suffers from MND, he’s as upbeat now as he ever was. As for Villa, they’ll be looking to get Watkins in behind, with Tielemans and Onana pushing on to box Ipswich in. I’d expect them to look for cut-backs and crosses to the front post, while also causing havoc at set-pieces. Where is the game? Ipswich, I imagine, will be targeting the flanks. On the Villa right, Ezri Jonsa is not a full-back and Leon Bailey is no defender while, down their left, Digne likes to support the attack so there might be space in behind. Otherwise, Villa’s high line offers opportunities, but keeping them out never mind creating is easier said than done. Email! “Oh Daniel, you said it, those negative expectations!” writes Richard Hirst. “In bracketing Fulham with Southampton as games Ipswich needed to win you seem to have failed to notice the table, where one of those teams is sixth!” And yet weren’t able to record a victory against lowly Ipswich! Also going on: He’ll have his hands full, but. Villa’s left- side is dangerous, with Jacob Ramsey a physical, direct intelligent presence and Lucas Digne also a threat. Add to that Ollie Watkins pulling wide and moving from out to in and it’s not hard to envisage Villa causing him plenty of problems. I’m looking forward to seeing how Axel Tuanzebe does today. There was a time when he looked like he might grow into a very serious centre-back – plenty in the Premier League will never play as well as he did when Manchester United won away to PSG in 2020. But injuries refused to let him be, such that Ipswich might be his last chance at sustaining a top-level career; we shall see. Emery, meanwhile, makes one change: John McGinn is injured, so Leon Bailey comes in on the right of midfield. Three changes for Ipswich following the draw at Southampton. Most intriguingly, Jack Clarke, signed from Sunderland, makes his first league start, while Kalvin Phillips and Chiedozie Ogbene also come in; Jean Cajuste, Wes Burns and Sammy Szmodics drop out. I’m going to write those down, then we’ll ponder what they might mean. Teams! Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Muric; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Phillips; Ogbene, Hutchinson, Clarke; Delap. Subs: Walton, Chaplin, Taylor, Johnson, Townsend, Szmodics, Luongo, Hirst. Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martínez; Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Onana; Ramsey, Rogers, Bailey; Watkins. Subs: Gauchi, Barkley, Durán, Buendía, Philogene, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Bogardem Swinkels. Referee: Stuart Atwell (Nuneaton) Preamble It’s much easier to impress people when they don’t know what to expect, a tribute to the human capacity for negative expectation: I’ll automatically assume it, they, you or them are rubbish, so anything better than that is a win. Once they do know, though, it all changes – which, by amazing coincidence, is where Aston Villa found themselves at the start of this season. Before it started, we could’ve been forgiven for wondering whether they’d locate the form that took them into the Champions League – at the same time as demanding it from them, of course. Well, four wins and one defeat later – plus one win from one in Europe – suggests they might just manage it. The thing is, Villa were actually good before they proved it – Unai Emery inherited a deep, talented and expensive squad that just needed his genius for elevating clubs of their precise description. So we’ve no reason to be surprised by how good they still are, the quality of the team reflecting the quality of manager and the quality of the manager reflecting the quality of the team in perfect symbiosis. Ipswich, meanwhile, are finding it tough. Kieran McKenna has already performed a miracle taking them from League 1 to the Premier League in ridiculous style, but imposing that at the top level is a different challenge. Though they can’t have expected to take anything from their first two games – Liverpool home, Man City away – they’ve since drawn three in a row. Which might represent progress, but could just as easily evidence missed opportunity given Fulham home and Southampton away are the kinds of matches a promoted side hoping to stay up will feel it must win. They will, though, feel they’ve a chance this afternoon: a 95th-minute equaliser last time out means they’re on a buzz, while Villa have the not insubstantial distraction of a midweek encounter with Bayern Munich looming. This should be good, which is where we came in… Kick-off: 2pm BST