Ipswich Town They opened their account for 2025 in Premier League With an exciting 2-2 draw with Fulham, with three stunning penalty kicks over the course of a thrilling 90 minutes.
If not for Raul Jiménez's second penalty kick of the day – awarded in extra time – the Tractor Boys would have made it back-to-back wins in the Primera Division, an unheard-of feat for the Tractor Boys. Newly rising side.
However, this precious win may frustratingly slip through their fingers to now leave them in the relegation places on goal difference, but Liam Delap can certainly walk off the field proud of his efforts once again.
Ipswich's best players at Fulham
Delap confidently converted his side's only penalty of the game after Sami Smodic's opener in the first half, with the former Manchester City striker making sure he jumped for joy as he celebrated a long-distance finish after his effort beat Bernd Leno's.
He must have been fully expecting it to be enough to give his side another three much-needed points after originally winning the penalty with a crafty dash into the danger area, but it was not to be that way.
Beyond just Delap, Szmodics also deserves plenty of credit for being in the right place at the right time to launch his side forward thanks to a generous deflection, while Nathan Broadhead also impressed going forward. Four successful dribbles It has been calculated.
Even the Tractor Boys' defense held firm for most of the game, with Jacob Greaves winning four duels in the centre-back five, but there was one player noticeably under-performing. Kieran McKennaMen who let his side down too often with reckless displays.
Performance in numbers
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Sam Morsi's numbers against Fulham
It was the Ipswich captain who gave the Cottagers their first way back into the thrilling match from the penalty spot following a cynical foul by Al-Masry on the advancing Harry Wilson, but the referee initially resorted to VAR intervention.
That was the story of Sam Morsi's game throughout, as the aging midfielder won just two of his seven duels on the day as a reckless individual in the middle, meaning he lost 71% of his duels overall.
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Morsi's performance in numbers |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
Morsi |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Touches |
41 |
|
Accurate passes |
31/33 (94%) |
|
The elusive past |
2x |
|
Errors |
3 |
|
Total duels won |
2/7 |
|
Statistics by SofaScore |
|
Although the usually dependable 33-year-old made just two of his 33 passes on the day, his composure with the ball at his feet was not present in every aspect of his display at Craven Cottage, with three being committed. Errors across his defensive line. A topsy-turvy 90 minutes, on top of allowing himself to be dribbled twice when the hosts took the lead too quickly.
Unfortunately for the Tractor Boys player, this is not the only time he has been off the pace in recent matches, with only… Two duels The team also won at Molineux last December, but that display was eventually forgiven as they cruised to a jubilant 2-1 win at the end of the match.
McKenna will know that Morsi cannot be this overly enthusiastic in the coming matches, and the former Manchester United boss has also no doubt spoken to Leif Davis, whose determination also saw him get the better of him when he collided with Jimenez at the death.
Of course, the Ipswich boss will want to deliver committed performances in all respects, but had Delap not delivered the goods once again, faces like Morsi would have cost the Premier League underdogs dearly in west London.
