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.
TV Info - Broadcasters
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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
19 | -10 | 17 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
20 | -14 | 16 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
20 | -15 | 16 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
20 | -21 | 14 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
20 | -32 | 6 |
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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
20 | +12 | 35 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
20 | +9 | 34 |
| 7 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
20 | +7 | 33 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
20 | -2 | 32 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
20 | +3 | 30 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
20 | +1 | 28 |
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
What the managers said
Marco Silva: "It was a difficult game. It was a very good first 30 minutes from us but you cannot concede a goal that way. We should have done much better in that moment. Second half we changed. We made another mistake which gave them another penalty. If we keep doing this then it's more difficult to win matches. We should have won the game because we did more than them. Everybody can talk about European hopes. I prefer our team to speak on the pitch. If you want to be fighting you have to be much more ruthless and aggressive."
Kieran McKenna: "When you lead twice you always feel a little bit disappointed not to win. I'm so proud of the way we played. We had some chances to get a two-goal margin but weren't able to take them. It's frustrating. Look, we look on today and the last game with a lot of pride in what we're doing and we'll keep on going. We had to defend a lot and I thought we managed the second half well. The players are right in it together and approaching the games in the right manner."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Fulham remain unbeaten in each of their last eight Premier League matches, though they have drawn six of those matches (W2); overall this season, only Brighton (10) have drawn more top-flight matches than the Cottagers (9).
With just 2 minutes and 44 seconds between Jimenez equalising from the penalty spot for Fulham in the 69th minute and Delap putting Ipswich 2-1 ahead from the spot kick in the 71st minute, it was the shortest gap on record between two penalty goals in a single half of a Premier League match (since 2006/07).
Only Bournemouth and Brentford (6 each) have scored more goals in the 90th minute or later in the Premier League this season than Fulham (5).
Only Cole Palmer (12/12) and Yaya Toure (11/11) have a better 100 per cent conversion rate from the penalty spot in Premier League history than Fulham striker Jimenez (10/10).
