Three penalties were scored as Fulham and Ipswich Town played out a dramatic 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage, with Raul Jimenez netting twice from the spot to earn the hosts a point and extend the Cottagers' unbeaten run to eight matches.

Ipswich initially went ahead when Sam Szmodics pounced on a Calvin Bassey error late in the first half, but the rest of the match was a tale of three spot-kicks.

Jimenez slotted home the first penalty in the 69th minute, but Ipswich were back ahead just two minutes later, Liam Delap powering home from 12 yards after he was fouled by Timothy Castagne.

That put Ipswich on course for their first set of back-to-back Premier League wins this season, but Leif Davis' tired challenge on Jimenez allowed the Mexican to net his second penalty in the first minute of stoppage time.

That denied Ipswich the opportunity to escape the relegation zone, and the Tractor Boys remain behind 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers on goal difference. Fulham, meanwhile, stay ninth in the table, two points adrift of Aston Villa in eighth.

How the match unfolded

Christian Walton denied Jimenez from the first major chance after 20 minutes, and Ipswich then went ahead against the run of play in the 38th minute.

Ben Johnson headed Nathan Broadhead's cross against the crossbar, but Bassey then shanked his clearance for Szmodics to smash home.

Goalkeeper Bernd Leno turned Broadhead's volley wide just after the hour mark, and the hosts were level soon afterwards. Jimenez made no mistake after Sam Morsy trod on Harry Wilson's foot inside the area, with the penalty awarded by the referee after a VAR review.

However, just 21 seconds after the restart, there was a spot-kick at the other end as Castagne kicked Delap. Ipswich's leading scorer picked himself up before crashing his kick into the top-right corner.

Jimenez sent a header wide and Jack Clarke struck a post at the other end in an exciting finish, but it was the Mexican who had the final say, winning and converting another spot-kick in the first minute of stoppage time.

Jimenez on the spot

Fulham will have wondered how they found themselves a goal down at half-time, having dominated possession and played the majority of the first period in front of Ipswich's penalty area without being able to make the decisive breakthrough.

They also felt aggrieved to still be playing against 11 men when Davis wiped Wilson out midway through the first period, halting a dangerous Fulham attack. The incident was the subject of a VAR check that concluded Davis had not denied the hosts a clear goalscoring opportunity.

In the end, Fulham may be somewhat relieved that Davis stayed on the pitch, given it was his trailing leg that felled Jimenez inside a crowded penalty area as the match entered seven minutes of stoppage time.

Having slotted his first spot-kick into the bottom-left corner, Jimenez went the opposite way with his second, side-footing into the top-right corner to make it eight Premier League matches unbeaten for Marco Silva's side.

However, if dreams of European qualification are to become a reality, they must start turning draws into wins. Six of their last eight matches have ended level, and they are four points adrift of the top six ahead of visiting West Ham for their next league match on 14 January.

Another lead lost for Ipswich

Visiting a side tipped to challenge for a top-six finish, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna may have taken a point before kick-off. However, he surely ended this topsy-turvy match with a feeling of what might have been.

Fulham huffed and puffed throughout the first half but were unable to make their dominance count, with Walton standing firm between the sticks before Szmodics' predatory finish put the visitors ahead.

When Ipswich emerged from a chaotic two-minute spell in the second half 2-1 ahead, it felt like it just might be their day.

With Fulham's penalty being scored in the 69th minute and Ipswich's in the 71st, it is the shortest gap between two penalty goals in a Premier League match since Opta began recording exact goal times in 2006/07.

But once again, Ipswich could not hold on, with another individual error proving costly when Davis felled Jimenez in a relatively unthreatening position, on the right side of a crowded penalty area with the angle to goal tight.

That meant Ipswich failed to back up their memorable midweek win over Chelsea, and they have now dropped 17 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season.

If they are to extend their stay in the division beyond a single season, that must change – starting when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in 11 days.

Club reports

Fulham report | Ipswich report

Match officials 

Referee: Darren Bond. Assistants: Scott Ledger, Matthew Wilkes. Fourth official: Andy Madley. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook.