Nathan Broadhead and Liam Delap were on target to earn Ipswich a vital 2-1 win at the Vitality Stadium to keep alive their hopes of survival and extend Bournemouth’s slump.
The Tractor Boys, tasked with responding after Wolves moved 12 points clear of the drop with a 1-0 win over West Ham on Tuesday night, withstood early Bournemouth pressure to secure their first league win of 2025.
Alex Scott saw an effort cleared off the goal line by Dara O’Shea in a phase of play that provided an impetus for the away side. Shortly after, Ipswich were down the other end on a counter, led by an impressive solo run by Enciso.
The Brighton loanee slipped in Broadhead, who took his first ever top-flight goal with seasoned aplomb, slotting through the legs of an untested Kepa Arrizabalaga (33).
Rocked by Ipswich’s first-half lead, Scott drew out a superb stop from Alex Palmer minutes into the second half. In a pattern that mirrored the first half, another rare Ipswich foray forward, started by Delap, was finished by the 22-year-old, who finished a sweeping move by smashing home his 11th of the season from Conor Townsend’s clever cut back.
Ipswich survived a penalty call when VAR overturned referee Rob Jones’ decision to give a free-kick when Axel Tuanzebe had tripped Antoine Semenyo outside of the area but in failing to clear under Bournemouth pressure, Evanilson halved the deficit by tapping home.
The Cherries continued to push but in failing to avoid defeat, tasted their fourth consecutive home loss as their European ambitions stagnate in a five-match winless run. Victory for Ipswich keeps them within nine points of their weekend opponents Wolves, as they fight to beat the drop.
Iraola: We can’t concede the way we did
Evanilson pulled a goal back for Bournemouth in the second half against Ipswich
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola:
“Now everything is costing us a lot. We need a lot of chances to score goals. Probably the main problem today is we cannot concede two goals, with the way the game went. We had a lot of the ball in the opposition half, controlling the game, but we cannot give them the chance. They had two shots on target and scored two goals, and it made that very difficult. We are not having the decision-making in the last third, in the opposition box, we are needing a lot to score.
“When you are in a bad turn of results like we are now, everyone goes against you. Even the penalty is a little bit outside, the deflections go for them, the clearances are off the line. But you have to persist. For us, it’s a difficult result but at the end of the day and keep believing in our offensive players, support them more in the other side. But in the game today, we cannot concede two goals. If we are not able to score, finish with a clean sheet. But definitely not concede the goals.
McKenna: No one expected us to stay up – Nothing has changed
Liam Delap rifled in Ipswich’s second goal at Bournemouth
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna:
“I’m really proud, a bit of relief after the last 10 minutes when everyone is so desperate to get the result over the line. Very proud of the performance in terms of how hard we worked, the quality of the goals we scored, some of our play and the resilience we showed defensively.
“We’ve been waiting for a league win, that can happen, but everyone has stuck together, stuck at it. There’s a lot of belief, and you can see togetherness in us as a team.
“We can only control us. Coming into the last quarter of the season, we want to make this the best quarter of our season. Where it leaves us, let’s see.
“No one expected [us to stay up] all season. Nothing has changed too much! We will try to enjoy every game, especially at Portman Road.”
No Kluivert, no party
Bournemouth slumped to a fourth straight home defeat in a performance that lacked inspiration.
Andoni Iraola was forced to name a starting eleven without their leading marksman, Justin Kluivert with 12 goals.
Alex Scott assumed the absent Dutchman’s position and despite showing glimpses of promise, Bournemouth lacked a cutting edge.
For all of Bournemouth’s dominance in possession and 24 shots, the Cherries’ 1.95 xG reflected their woeful form in front of goal on the night. Luckily, Bournemouth don’t expect to be without Kluivert for long as Iraola hinted he was in contention for involvement against Ipswich before he was left out of the squad.
They will be hopeful of his return when they travel to West Ham this weekend as Bournemouth look to avoid what could become an underwhelming season on the south coast that began with excitement.
After crashing out of the FA Cup last weekend and a run of one win in seven, Bournemouth stay rooted in tenth, still looking up but with opportunity dwindling.
We may have that relegation battle after all…
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
On Wednesday, the Everest-length gap between Ipswich and Wolves was 12 points. Come the end of the week, Ipswich may be halfway up that mountain.
We may just have a relegation battle after all. Ipswich’s first win of this calendar year could not have been better timed, given it sets them up to host Wolves at Portman Road in just a few days’ time.
Ipswich showed they are not going down without a fight. Their defensive display was monstrous at Bournemouth. Centre-backs Dara O’Shea and Cameron Burgess had 25 clearances between them – two-thirds were with their head. Bournemouth’s crosses were sharp, but they were met by a wall.
And maybe Ipswich do have enough goals in them to make this a relegation fight. They scored from both their shots on target from Nathan Broadhead and Liam Delap – but Julio Enciso’s superb performance was a highlight. And they still have Omari Hutchinson to return as well.
Wolves may have considered themselves home and dry on Tuesday night. But this Ipswich display has made them sit up a bit.
