A frustrating afternoon in Suffolk occurred as Stoke City could not get a grasp on the game. Newly promoted side Ipswich Town brushed past The Potters in a 2–0 win, which allowed Ipswich to extend their unbeaten Home run to twenty-one games.
Ipswich were backed by a bumper crowd at Portman Road, as they hosted their first Championship game at Home for four years. Ipswich posed a real threat for Stoke, one that they have not experienced in their first two games.
In the opening ten minutes of the game, Stoke had to weather Ipswich’s storm as the Tractor Boys came out the blocks quickly, with lose passes from Stoke players being capitalised on.
Ipswich’s first goal came in the 23rd minute of the game as Sam Morsy delivered an in-swinging cross from a freekick which was met by the head of Luke Woolfenden.
Stoke looked slightly nervy and Ipswich exploited those nerves as they completely dominated the opening 30 minutes of the game. However these nerves were then slightly more settled as Alex Neil brought on Wesley in the 34th minute which allowed for more attacking options going forward. His addition to the game also provided a focal point for Stoke which held the ball up, a trait not previously seen in the game.
Both teams went in at half with a scoreline that fairly reflected the game. The Potters came out stronger after half-time with chances starting to come their way with chances for Ben Pearson and Wesley. This was more like the Stoke team we saw against Rotherham. Ipswich however, started to get going again around the sixtieth minute mark as chances fell for Connor Chaplin and Wes Burns.
Ipswich delivered the final blow in the 81st minute as the substitute Kayden Jackson swept home a cross from Wes Burns which exploited Stoke’s defence as The Potter’s defensive positioning was all over the place.
Young Omari Hutchinson of Chelsea had a golden opportunity to make it 3-0 in the 92nd minute but Mark Travers pulled of a stellar save to deny the loanee. The 3 points sees Ipswich rise to the top of the table on 6 points after two strong performances in the league, Stoke however will have to bounce back against Watford at home next Saturday.
Manager Reaction:
Alex Neil was asked if Stoke played better in the first game, He responded: “The last two performances have been very good. That’s why probably today, I’m so frustrated.”
AN: “I just thought the first goal was poor. I don’t know where we end up positionally. I thought it just went into the back post and the goalkeeper should have got across that side of the pitch. We just didn’t do well enough today.”
Player Ratings:
Travers: 6, Good saves to deny the likes of Burns and Hutchinson. Could’ve come out for the first goal.
Hoever: 5, Decent going forward. Good ball early on to release Chiquinho down the wing.
Stevens: 5, Gave away the freekick which lead to a goal. Couldn’t match Burns for pace.
Rose: 4, Positionally poor for the second goal.
Wilmot: 7, Good range of passing and some important defensive blocks.
Pearson: 4, Not his strongest game. Came into the game more into the second half.
Laurent: 5, Pressed well yet struggled to get a real grip on the game.
Johnson: 6, Should’ve potentially buried the chance before half time. Looked lively at times and delivered some intelligent passes.
Chiquinho: 4, Struggled to come into the game.
Vidigal: 6, Looked a bright spark at times however gave the ball away a couple times in the first half.
Mmaee: 5, Didn’t bring the same impact that Wesley did. Had a penalty shout on the stroke of half time.
Substitions: Wesley (7), Gayle (5), Sidibe (6)
Ipswich Town 2-0 Stoke City
Attendance: 29,006 (Away: 1,749)
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