Premier League: Ipswich Town pick up first point
Ipswich Town 1 - 1 Fulham
Ipswich Town secured their first point since returning to the Premier League, but couldn't find a way to beat Fulham in a scrappy contest at Portman Road.
Liam Delap's superb strike in the 15th minute put Ipswich ahead, marking his first goal since his summer move from Manchester City.
However, Fulham's impressive Adama Traore brought the visitors level with a low, drilled shot just before the break.
After half-time, Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno produced several crucial saves to deny Ipswich their first top-flight win since April 2002. He managed to tip a deflected Delap effort wide, dived bravely at Chiedozie Ogbene's feet, and then blocked a last-gasp attempt from substitute Omari Hutchinson deep into injury time.
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Despite a shaky start to the season, with a home loss to Liverpool and a defeat away at Manchester City, Ipswich battled hard to earn a gritty draw, lifting them out of the relegation zone. Fulham, meanwhile, sat in 11th place with four points from their first three matches.
Ipswich had shown some resilience in their opening games, but were at risk of suffering consecutive home defeats for the first time under manager Kieran McKenna. Considering their demoralising penalty shootout loss to AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup earlier in the week, a nervous start would have been understandable.
Delap lifted the spirits of the home crowd with a brilliant solo run and strike that slipped through Leno’s hands. However, Ipswich became more cautious for the remainder of the first half.
Kalvin Phillips, making his first league start since joining on loan from Manchester City, lasted 70 minutes before being substituted. He and fellow summer signing Ogbene brought energy to Ipswich, particularly in the second half as they pushed for a winner against a Fulham side that seemed content to sit back.
Delap continued to look dangerous, but Ipswich will need to be more clinical in what promises to be a challenging season.
Conceding after just 15 minutes jolted Marco Silva’s team into action, and they deservedly found an equaliser 17 minutes later. Antonee Robinson's low cross from the left was met perfectly by Traore, who netted his third goal since joining Fulham over a year ago.
Rodrigo Muniz, Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi, and Raul Jimenez all had opportunities to score, but Ipswich’s goal never came under sustained threat.
The draw continued Fulham's trend of never winning more than one of their opening three Premier League games since 2008.
