Chelsea came back from two goals down at halftime but suffered a big blow to their UEFA Champions League chase as they could only rescue a 2-2 draw with relegation-destined Ipswich at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
WATCH – Chelsea v Ipswich full match replay
A win would have seen Chelsea (54 points) remain 4th in the Premier League table and keep the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle all in their rearview mirror at weekend’s end, but instead Enzo Maresca’s sits 5th (also a Champions League place this season) with Newcastle (53 points) still to play on Sunday (and with another game in hand). Ipswich (21 points) are now three points clear of 19th-place Leicester, but 14 points adrift of safety with just six games left to play.
Julio Enciso and Ben Johnson each scored a goal and assisted one another in the opening 31 minutes, leading to the Blues players being booed off their home field at the break. The turnaround began in very short order, however, as the ball was into the back of the net less than 20 seconds into the second half. Noni Madueke surged down the right wing and crossed for Marc Cucurella at the near post, but it was Axel Tuanzebe who got a foot to it and turned it into his own goal.
Ipswich held onto their 2-1 advantage most of the rest of the way despite being out-shot 34-13 and out-possessed 74-26, until Jadon Sancho provided a moment of magic in the 79th minute. Sancho cut inside from the left wing and uncorked a curler from the edge of the box and tucked it inside the far post for his first goal since Dec. 8 (21 games without scoring in all competitions).
Inconsistency the only constant for Chelsea
Since (very) briefly entering the PL title race back on the back of five straight wins in mid-December, Chelsea have only managed to win back-to-back games once (against the other two relegation sides, Southampton and Leicester), while both losing and drawing two in a row twice each. In fact, the Blues have only won five of 16 league games (14th in points) in that time. If not for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur’s disastrous domestic seasons, perhaps more would be made of Chelsea’s ongoing regression. Alas, just as is the case for Man United and Spurs, the Europa (Conference) League offers Chelsea the chance to lift a trophy at season’s end.
Player ratings - Chelsea vs Ipswich (viaFotMob.com)
What’s next
- Chelsea vs Legia Warsaw — Thursday, 3 pm ET (Europa Conference League)
- Fulham vs Chelsea — Sunday, 9 am ET
- Ipswich vs Arsenal — Sunday, 9 am ET
Chelsea vs Ipswich live updates - by Andy Edwards
Chelsea vs Ipswich final score: 2-2
Goalscorers: Julio Enciso (19'), Ben Johnson (31'), Axel Tuanzebe (46' - OG), Jadon Sancho (79')
GOAL! Chelsea 2-2 Ipswich: Sancho curls a beauty from the edge of the box (79')
OWN GOAL! Chelsea 1-2 Ipswich: Tuanzebe pokes Madueke’s cross into his own net (46')
GOAL! Chelsea 0-2 Ipswich: Johnson heads home Enciso’s cross (31')
GOAL! Chelsea 0-1 Ipswich: Enciso pokes home Johnson’s cross (20')
Chelsea starting lingup
Sanchez - Chalobah, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella - Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Madueke, Neto, Jackson
Ipswich starting lineup
Palmer - Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Burgess, Davis - Morsy, Cajuste, Enciso - Johnson, Clarke, Hirst
How to watch Chelsea vs Ipswich live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 9am ET Sunday (April 13)
Venue: Stamford Bridge — London
TV Channel: Peacock
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock
Enzo Maresca’s side haven’t been spectacular in recent weeks but they’re getting the job done as they drew 0-0 at Brentford last time out after a narrow 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur before that. Chelsea sit fourth in the table with seven games to go and the Premier League getting a fifth Champions League spot for next season is a huge boost to their hopes of returning to Europe’s top table. But the Blues still have plenty of work to do with the likes of Newcastle, Man City, Aston Villa and even Fulham lurking just behind them.
As for Ipswich, well, Kieran McKenna’s side have put up a better fight than the other new boys but ultimately they’re going to be relegated at the first time of asking. They led 1-0 late on at home against Wolves in a huge game last weekend but coughed up two late goals to lose and are now 12 points from safety with seven games to go. That is too much ground for the Tractor Boys to make up and they risk losing plenty of talented youngsters such as Delap and Hutchinson this summer.
Chelsea team news, focus
The Blues getting Palmer, Madueke and Jackson back fit has been a boost in recent weeks, while Caicedo has been immense in midfield and Reece James is getting back close to his best. With a Europa Conference League quarterfinal at Legia Warsaw on Thursday, Maresca will once again rotate this huge Chelsea squad.
OUT: Wesley Fofana (thigh - out for season), Romeo Lavia (thigh), Mykhailo Mudryk (suspension), Omari Kellyman (hamstring - out for season), Marc Guiu (thigh)
Ipswich team news, focus
There are doubts over whether or not winger Omari Hutchinson will return from injury but it will be a special day for him if he does feature against his former club Chelsea. Liam Delap has been linked with moves to Manchester United and Chelsea this summer and he has scored 12 Premier League goals this season as plenty of big clubs are circling with a reported release clause of $41.6 million looking like a bargain.
OUT: Arijanet Muric (shoulder), Sammi Szmodics (ankle), Wes Burns (knee), Chiedozie Ogbene (achilles - out for season) | QUESTIONABLE: Omari Hutchinson (hamstring)
Chelsea vs Ipswich prediction
This feels like it will be straightforward for Chelsea, who know the pressure is on as they hunt down Champions League qualification. Palmer will work his magic. Chelsea 3-0 Ipswich.
