Ipswich strike at the death
Jack Clarke decided it at Portman Road in the 90th minute. Sasa Lukic slid the ball into his path inside the box and the winger did the rest. Ipswich Town beat Sunderland 2-1 in their Premier League opener on Saturday afternoon.
Emersonn had put Ipswich ahead in the 24th minute after being set up by Julio Enciso. Nilson Angulo levelled things up for Sunderland 15 minutes later. The sides went in all square at the break.
The second half spent long spells locked in a stalemate. Ipswich sat deep and let Sunderland have the ball. The visitors probed around the area without finding a way through. Five minutes of added time followed Clarke’s winner, but nothing changed the outcome.
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Sunderland bossed the ball but could not finish the job
The numbers tell a strange story. Sunderland had 63% of the possession and completed 484 passes, compared with 258 for Ipswich. The visitors also hit the target four times, one more than their hosts.
But the Black Cats wasted their chances. Sunderland missed two big openings, while Ipswich squandered just one. The xG figures back up the result too, with Ipswich on 1.74 and Sunderland on 0.76. Portman Road’s men did more with a lot less.
Discipline was part of the picture too. Sunderland collected three yellow cards, Ipswich none. Mr Hallam, though, never had to reach for red.
Two very different schedules ahead
Ipswich do not have long to enjoy it. The English League Cup arrives on Tuesday, with Leicester City visiting at 19:45. It will be a proper test of the squad after a win earned the hard way.
Sunderland have more time to reset. They return to Premier League action on Sunday 30 August at 14:00, at home to Fulham. Losing three points on opening day is hardly fatal. But when you dominate that much and still concede in the 90th minute, it stings for a while.
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