Ipswich Town stunned Chelsea with a hard-fought 2-0 win as Liam Delap stole the show in his side's first home win of the Premier League season.
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Kieran McKenna's team failed to win any of their first nine league matches at Portman Road, but those struggles were halted with an impressive scalp on Monday evening.
Delap won and converted a penalty awarded for Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen's lunge in the 12th minute, before setting up Omari Hutchinson to score against his former side early in the second half.
Joao Felix saw what would have been a first-half equaliser disallowed for offside after a VAR review, but Enzo Maresca could have little complaints as his profligate side were punished.
A monumental victory lifts Ipswich to 18th in the league table, one point and place behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Chelsea's third straight winless outing leaves them fourth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
18 | +28 | 45 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
19 | +21 | 39 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
19 | +7 | 37 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
19 | +15 | 35 |
How the match unfolded
Tosin Adarabioyo cleared off the line to prevent Nathan Broadhead from opening the scoring after just four minutes – but Chelsea did not heed that early warning.
Jorgensen sliced down the marauding Delap when rushing out of his goal, and the Ipswich striker duly dispatched the penalty he won by slamming into the bottom-left corner.
Joao Felix's disallowed back-post finish was created by the brilliance of Cole Palmer, who also rattled the woodwork twice in the opening half – first with a free-kick against a post, before Christian Walton tipped onto the crossbar with an eye-catching stop.
Wes Burns was the unlikely hero to deny Joao Felix's header soon after the interval, the Ipswich man leaping to clear on the line with an intervention that proved pivotal.
Eight minutes into the second half, Delap's pace again tormented Tosin when he raced from the halfway line to the box before offloading for Hutchinson, whose drilled finish into the bottom-right corner gave Ipswich breathing room to hold on for a memorable victory.
Dominant Delap gives Ipswich hope
It has been a long time coming for McKenna, but Ipswich finally got over the line at Portman Road, with just their third win of the entire season largely inspired by the superb Delap.
Chelsea head coach Maresca worked with Delap at Manchester City's academy and had already pinpointed his threat ahead of the match, suggesting he will become an important player for England in the future.
It was another familiar face in Hutchinson – who left Chelsea on a permanent deal in July – that almost teed up an early opener for Broadhead after a mazy right-sided run.
Delap would soon justify Maresca's praise, bursting onto Leif Davis' through-ball before Jorgensen's ill-timed lunge allowed the striker to fire in his seventh Premier League goal this season.
He tested Jorgensen again on three further occasions with fierce strikes, while turning creator for Hutchinson's smart finish after another penetrating carry through the middle.
Power and pace from Liam then composure and precision from Omari. 👌#IPSCHE pic.twitter.com/anUmMHhE4F
— IPSWICH TOWN (@IpswichTown) December 31, 2024
At the other end, Walton, who started ahead of Arijanet Muric for just his second league start of the season, commanded his area well and made a string of fine saves – most notably from Palmer in the opening half – to claim what would have been an unexpected clean sheet.
Buoyed by his side's youthful brilliance, McKenna will be hopeful of pushing Ipswich further up the table when visiting high-flying Fulham on Sunday.
Rotation costs Maresca
Maresca opted to utilise his talented squad as he sought a response to disappointing results against Everton and Fulham, making four changes and giving a rest to first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
But it was a poor start from Sanchez's replacement Jorgensen, who needlessly felled Delap with a challenge that was deemed sufficient contact to confirm the penalty awarded by referee John Brooks after a VAR review.
Christopher Nkunku fared slightly better coming in for Nicolas Jackson, winning a free-kick centrally that saw Palmer hit Walton's right-hand post – but the Frenchman should have tapped home the follow-up attempt.
Another player introduced into the starting XI, Joao Felix, impressed. His well-taken strike was awarded initially on-field before the VAR checked and determined he was in an offside position.
The Portugal forward then curled straight into the hands of Walton, set up Palmer's attempt that was somehow saved, before being denied by Burns' goalline clearance after Enzo Fernandez created a glorious opening just after half-time.
However, for all of Joao Felix's promise, a disappointing showing from Chelsea's defence and a lack of clinical finishing up top saw the Blues miss a chance to go second.
It was a display that will have left Maresca with more questions than answers heading into Saturday's trip to Crystal Palace.
Match reports
Ipswich report | Chelsea report
What the managers said
Kieran McKenna: "One of the best nights. We've been privileged to have a lot of good nights. Special one for the players and supporters.
"We're trying to find a way to keep our identity even though our backs are to the wall a lot. We try to keep the values that have got us here but know we're playing world class teams every week so we're trying to find the balance."
Enzo Maresca: "Strange game in terms of creating many chances and we could've scored many but they saved goals on the line or great saves from the keeper. We could do many things better, defend better in some moments."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Liam Delap scored Ipswich Town’s first penalty goal in the Premier League in over 23 years, with Marcus Stewart’s strike in November 2001 also coming against Chelsea.
Ipswich won their first Premier League match against Chelsea since August 1993, extending their run of six home meetings against the Blues without ever losing in the competition (W2 D4).
Chelsea have failed to score in consecutive Premier League away matches in a single season since a run of three under Maurizio Sarri in February 2019.