Jack Taylor scored a stoppage-time winner as Ipswich Town secured a vital 2-1 victory over fellow relegation battlers Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
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Both teams entered the match off the back of three successive defeats, with Wolves – and their head coach Gary O'Neil – under pressure at Molineux.
A Matt Doherty own goal handed the Tractor Boys a first-half lead, only for Matheus Cunha to tee up a grandstand finish with his 72nd-minute leveller.
However, it was Ipswich who took all three points, with Wolves' set-piece failings haunting them once again as Taylor nodded Jack Clarke's last-gasp corner home in the fourth minute of added time.
The result moves 18th-placed Ipswich one point off Crystal Palace in 17th, while Wolves remain 19th, four points adrift of safety.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
15 | -6 | 13 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
16 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 |
Wolves
WOL
|
16 | -16 | 9 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
15 | -20 | 5 |
How the match unfolded
After a nervy start from both sides, Ipswich took the lead from their first real venture forward in the 15th minute.
Liam Delap showed great endeavour and strength to latch on to a long ball and fend off Nelson Semedo to cross for Omari Hutchinson. His shot was blocked on the line by Doherty, but Conor Chaplin’s strike hit Toti Gomes before bouncing in off Doherty.
Wolves had two glorious chances to equalise before half-time. But, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde blasted over after being teed up beautifully by Mario Lemina, while Arijanet Muric held on to a tame finish from Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Sam Johnstone was required to keep out Wes Burns' stinging shot early in the second half, then Delap failed to connect with Burns' cross with the goal gaping.
Wolves made those let-offs count when Cunha thrashed an effort past Muric at his near post. The Brazilian later ballooned over the crossbar when presented with a chance to win it for the hosts.
Instead, the visitors snatched all three points, Taylor nodding Clarke's deep set-piece delivery into the bottom-right corner to send the travelling fans into raptures.
Crisis point at Molineux?
It has been an eventful few days at Wolves, and this latest defeat will only deepen the mood around the club.
On Friday, O'Neil confirmed Lemina had relinquished the captaincy after his reaction to Monday's 2-1 defeat at West Ham – the midfielder had tangled with Jarrod Bowen at the final whistle and had to be restrained by team-mates before clashing with first-team coach Shaun Derry.
Despite that loss Wolves chairman Jeff Shi insisted O'Neil retained the club's backing ahead of Saturday's game.
The frustration around Molineux was evident from the moment Chaplin's rebounded effort rolled in off Doherty, and but for some wasteful finishing from Delap, Ipswich could have been out of sight early in the second half.
As has been the case so often this season, a moment of brilliance from Cunha rescued Wolves, but they failed to make the most of a dominant spell after drawing level and were hit with a late sucker punch.
Wolves have now conceded 16 goals from set-piece situations this season. Fellow strugglers Leicester City are up next for Wolves.
McKenna’s men show their fight
Ipswich had also endured a difficult few days ahead of their trip to the West Midlands, going down to Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth in back-to-back games at Portman Road.
They were facing the prospect of suffering four straight league defeats for the very first time under Kieran McKenna, but showed real fight and determination to snatch three vital points on Saturday.
Ipswich showed their quality in attack in the early stages, with Delap chasing what appeared to be a lost cause in the build-up to their opening goal, which admittedly had more than a hint of fortune about it.
One major problem for the Tractor Boys this season has been squandering leads, having already dropped 15 points from winning positions ahead of Saturday's match, the most in the Premier League.
However, they did not let their heads drop at 1-1 and were rewarded with a memorable winner from Taylor. They will now look to build on this result against Newcastle United next week, as they go in search of their first home victory of the campaign.
Club reports
Wolves report | Ipswich report
What the managers said
Gary O'Neil: "It is a big blow for the group. Especially with how we fought to get back into the game and be the better side for the second half. Until we can defend our goal then we are going to struggle. The emotion affects a lot. We started the game well and then Ipswich scored a goal they will never score against another Premier League team. I will take the set-piece goal as my fault, if people are stood in the right place, but they weren't."
Kieran McKenna: "Brilliant moment for us. I thought we were the better team until they scored their goal and then we came under some big pressure. We hung in and I thought the five or six minutes before the goal we came again and it is a great way for Jack to get his first Premier League goal. I didn't come into the Premier League to worry about where we are going to finish. We want to make the most of the journey we have been on and show our identity as a football club and that's what we are going to try and do."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Ipswich have won a league match against Wolves for the first time since November 2014 in the Championship, ending a run of seven such meetings without victory (D5 L2).
Wolves have lost four or more consecutive Premier League matches for the second time this season, and have conceded 40 league goals in total, shipping two or more in 13 of their 16 matches in the competition this season.
Taylor’s winning goal, assisted by Jack Clarke is the first time Ipswich have scored a Premier League goal with two substitutes combining since Marcus Stewart assisted Jamie Clapham against Bolton Wanderers in April 2002.
Cunha has been directly involved in four goals (two goals, two assists) in his last four Premier League home matches, one more than in his previous nine such matches (3). Six of the Brazilian’s last eight goals in the competition have either put his side ahead (one) or drawn them level (five).
