Ipswich's Late Push Falls Short Against Everton

Ipswich have made a habit of leaving it late this season. Sunderland felt it. Crystal Palace felt it. So when the board went up for seven added minutes at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the travelling fans rose, sensing another sting in the tail.

It never came.

Down to 10 men and running on fumes, Town still threw on Zian Flemming, the match-winner against Palace. The script seemed written for him. It almost was. Deep into stoppage time, the ball broke kindly, Flemming sized it up – and lashed his effort over the bar. Heads dropped, hands went to faces. That was the moment.

Ipswich were not done. Centre-half Issa Diop stayed forward and, right at the death, nearly stole a point. His shot looked goalbound until Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner hurled themselves in front of it, smothering the chance and with it Ipswich’s hopes.

For Gary O'Neil, there was frustration, but also something sturdier to hold on to.

His side had gone toe to toe for long spells, forcing Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford into four excellent saves. Pickford, freshly named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad, kept the hosts in front as Ipswich pressed aggressively and found pockets of space before the game turned.

The turning point was brutal. Abdul Fatawu’s red card midway through the second half changed everything. With a man down, Ipswich were forced back, their earlier ambition replaced by resilience and counter-punches. The chase for an equaliser became more desperate, the spaces to find it smaller.

O'Neil, managing all this in the same week his father died, stood on the touchline and watched his players refuse to fold. They pushed, harried and kept believing. The effort was relentless. The reward never arrived.

Yet as the league pauses for a three-week international break, the bigger picture looks calmer. Six points from their first five matches back at the top level keeps Ipswich clear of early trouble and gives O'Neil something solid to build on when the season restarts.