Liam Delap scored twice as Ipswich Town claimed a confidence-boosting 2-2 draw with high-flying Aston Villa.
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Villa looked set to forge another comeback win in the Premier League when Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins propelled them into the lead.
But Delap, who had opened the scoring in the eighth minute at Portman Road, had other ideas.
At the end of a rapid counter-attack, Delap brilliantly bamboozled Diego Carlos before firing a left-footed effort into the bottom-right corner.
It is a draw that takes Ipswich into 15th place on four points, while Villa – who would have joined leaders Liverpool on 15 points had they held on – sit fifth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
12 | +16 | 31 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
12 | +5 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
12 | +9 | 22 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
12 | +9 | 22 |
| 5 |
Brighton
BHA
|
12 | +5 | 22 |
How the match unfolded
Ipswich wasted no time in getting the home fans on their feet. Jack Clarke, on his first Premier League start for Ipswich, cut back for Delap to slam in, with Emiliano Martinez unable to keep the low strike out.
Villa were behind for only seven minutes, though, with Rogers lashing home after capitalising on Jacob Greaves’ poor clearance – the goal confirmed after a VAR check for handball.
Clarke then spurned a good chance to restore Ipswich’s lead when he headed over from close range, but Watkins made no such mistake at the other end when he nodded in from Leon Bailey’s excellent right-wing cross in the 32nd minute.
A pair of brilliant Martinez stops thwarted Kalvin Phillips and Delap respectively, though he could do nothing to prevent the latter from doubling his tally to restore parity in the 72nd minute.
Pau Torres made a fantastic block to deny Wes Burns a winner, with Arijanet Muric called into action to keep out Ross Barkley’s rasping drive before Martinez held onto Jack Taylor’s fierce stoppage-time strike.
Double Delap delight
It is no mean feat for a 21-year-old to be tasked with leading the line for a promoted club in the Premier League, but Delap is doing an admirable job so far, and he was the star of the show this time out.
The son of former Stoke City long-throw specialist Rory, Delap showed there is plenty of skill and quality to his game with two fine finishes.
Martinez might have done better to prevent the opener, but Delap’s equaliser was a thing of beauty as he drove into Villa’s box, left Carlos in his wake with a stepover and then coolly dispatched into the opposite corner to seal his first career double in a league match.
It could easily have been a hat-trick, too, if not for Martinez’s excellence after Villa had gone 2-1 up.
Ipswich were comeback experts last season in the Championship, and Kieran McKenna’s team have now shown their courage in successive top-tier matches to salvage a point from each of them.
Sam Morsy, their hero against Southampton last week, was perhaps fortunate to stay on the pitch this time out after a rash lunge on Jaden Philogene, but Ipswich made their luck count.
All Ipswich need now is that first win of the campaign, and they will hope it comes against West Ham United next time out.
Martinez makes amends
Martinez has recently been hit with an international ban for his overly zealous celebrations in the wake of Argentina’s Copa America triumph earlier this year, and there is no doubt Villa’s goalkeeper wears his heart on his sleeve.
Those emotions were on display as he showed his frustration for allowing Delap’s opener to creep in at his near post, but the 32-year-old certainly atoned.
While he would have probably been expected to make the diving save to his left to keep out Phillips’ first-time shot from the edge of the box, Martinez had little right to sprawl ahead of Delap and stick out a long left leg to divert the Ipswich striker’s attempt wide in a one-v-one, with Ipswich having found a way beyond Villa’s high line.
Martinez was hardly to blame when Delap dragged Ipswich level, and though Unai Emery will no doubt be annoyed that his team could not hold on, in the Argentinian, he has one of the best in the business to call on, with a UEFA Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich coming up before Villa’s next top-flight match, against Manchester United.
Club reports
What the managers said
Kieran McKenna: "It is not easy to create chances in the division. Aston Villa haven't given up many big chances so to create the chances we did showed the boys are growing into it. The next step is taking a couple more. We are showing that we are an improving side."
Unai Emery: "We had our chances but we conceded more than normal and we didn’t control things like we did in the first half. I am not happy with the point but I have to accept it because I think it is fair."
Next Premier League fixtures
Match facts
Aston Villa have picked up 13 points from their opening six Premier League matches (W4 D1 L1), the most they’ve picked up at this stage of a Premier League since season 2008/09 when they also picked up 13 points (W4 D1 L1).
Liam Delap became the first Ipswich Town player to score a brace in a Premier League match since Marcus Bent in March 2002 (v Newcastle United) and the youngest to do so in the competition for the Tractor Boys (21y 234d).
Ollie Watkins has now provided 28 Premier League assists for Aston Villa, the joint-fourth most assists in the competition for the club, level with James Milner. Only Ashley Young (42), Gareth Barry (41) and Gabriel Agbonlahor (34) have provided more for the Villans.
