Ipswich Town vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
Follow all the action from Portman Road
Follow live coverage as Ipswich Town face Chelsea today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Ipswich Town vs Chelsea
You would have to concede that pre-match, that a 2-0 home victory was about as unlikely as predictions come, but Kieran McKenna has finally got that home win he and his side have so craved until this point. The Tractor Boys have been unsuccessful in their first nine attempts to win a match at home, but when Liam Delap fired in an early penalty on 12 minutes after earning it himself, they grew in confidence. Chelsea came back with a barrage of chances straight after, but Ipswich stuck to their task and with the power and persistence of Delap, and the lively energy of former Blue Hutchinson, they posed enough of a counter threat to keep Chelsea on their toes. Chelsea - who surprisingly made five changes including topscorer Jackson - could not make their dominance tell, and looked unbalanced witha host of players occupying the ten role desperate to get them back in the game. It wasn't to be as Hutchinson benefitted from some tenacious work again by Delap who robbed Chelsea full-back Disasi on halfway. Disasi had a disaster as he raced back to atone for his error, only to allow Hutchinson just enough room inside the box to hammer in his shot and double the host's lead. The game got very jagged and disjointed in the late stages and Maresca's chrges lost an element of discipline and some ugly scenes were witnessed as the full-time whistle was blown. This was an opportunity lost by Chelsea, they could have gone second in the table, but instead stay fourth. Ipswich, now on 15 points, move ahead of Leicester and within a point of Wolves.
Ipswich Town vs Chelsea
That sums up Chelsea this evening. Sancho went on a mazy, 20-yard run down the left wing, he picked out Fernadez who had taken up residence on the edge of the box, but the Argentina international could only balloon his shot well over from 18 yards.
Ipswich Town vs Chelsea
Substitution Omari Elijah Giraud-Hutchinson Jack Henry Philip Taylor
Ipswich Town vs Chelsea
Substitution Liam Rory Delap Ali Ibrahim Karim Al Hamadi
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