Ipswich's Late Drama Fails 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 away end braced for one more twist.

It never came.

Down to 10 men and running on fumes, Town still threw on Zian Flemming, the match-winner against Palace and the man many expected to write the final line again. He had the chance, too. Deep into stoppage time the ball broke his way, the angle opening up invitingly. He leaned back, lashed at it – and watched it sail over the bar.

The belief did not drain away, though. Ipswich kept coming, even as the clock bled out. Centre-half Issa Diop stayed forward, gambling on one last delivery, and almost got his reward. When the ball dropped in the box he pounced, driving a shot goalwards, only for Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner to hurl themselves in front of it and smother the effort. That was the moment. It was gone in a blur of blue shirts and desperate blocks.

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

His side had already pushed Everton hard with 11 men. Jordan Pickford, freshly named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad, had to earn that call-up the hard way. Four times Ipswich worked him, four times he stood up to it with sharp, decisive saves that kept Everton in front and underlined why international managers trust him on the biggest stages.

The match turned on the dismissal of Abdul Fatawu midway through the second half. Up to that point Ipswich had gone toe to toe, snapping into tackles and breaking with intent. Once Fatawu walked, the pattern shifted. The visitors had no choice but to retreat, lines compressed, energy channelled into survival first and ambition second.

Even then, they refused to fold. O'Neil, on the touchline in a week overshadowed by the death of his father, watched a team that mirrored his own resolve. They chased, harried and hunted the equaliser right to the final whistle. The pursuit, ultimately, brought nothing tangible. No point, no late explosion of noise from the away end this time.

Yet the table tells a calmer story than the raw emotion of the afternoon. Five games into their return to the top flight, Ipswich sit on six points. Not spectacular, but solid. Clear of the early-season scrap at the bottom. Competitive in every sense.

The late drama deserted them here. The fight did not. And with a three-week international break now looming, the question is simple: what can O'Neil build on this platform when the league resumes?