Ipswich Town 0-0 Crystal Palace - Half-Time
Tuesday, 3rd Dec 2024 20:30
The Blues’ home game with Crystal Palace remains goalless at half-time.
Town made four changes with Jacob Greaves, Harry Clarke, Wes Burns and Jack Clarke coming into the starting XI.
Harry Clarke replaced the injured Axel Tuanzebe at right-back with Greaves coming in for Cameron Burgess, who was absent from the squad, at the centre of the defence alongside Dara O’Shea.
Burns and Jack Clarke started in the wide roles with Omari Hutchinson moving into the centre, while Conor Chaplin and Sammie Szmodics dropped to the bench alongside Kalvin Phillips and Ben Johnson, who were back in the squad after injury.
For Palace, Mali international midfielder Cheick Doucouré came into an otherwise unchanged side for Jefferson Lerma, who was among the subs.
Ex-Blues loanee Trevoh Cholabah started for the Eagles in their their three-man backline alongside skipper Marc Guehi, wearing a rainbow armband bearing the legend ‘Jesus ‘hearts’ you’, which is again likely to see the FA contact him. Blues captain Sam Morsy was again not wearing the LGBTQ+ armband.
Palace had the most of the first couple of minutes before the Blues began to see more of the ball and on seven O’Shea’s header from a right-sided corner deflected behind for another flag-kick.
A minute later, Hutchinson scuffed an effort through to Dean Henderson in the Palace goal, then Liam Delap came close to playing the former Chelsea man in down the middle but an Eagles defender’s toe intervened. Delap was clearly being fouled and referee Craig Pawson might well have pulled play back.
Soon after, Jack Clarke ran into space from his own half with options either side but ran into trouble before making up his mind.
Both sides were having spells in charge without threatening, while the Blues looked most dangerous when breaking through Clarke and Delap.
On 22, O’Shea was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Ismaila Sarr. From the free-kick from the right, Blues keeper Aro Muric half came for it before opting not to and O’Shea flicked it behind. From the corner, Town looked to break but Jack Clarke was fouled by Doucouré, who was booked.
Five minutes later, Maxence Lacroix headed well over from a Palace corner, then a minute later referee Pawson spoke at length to Morsy after Eberechi Eze had lost his footing but won a free-kick.
Palace were getting on top and presenting the greatest danger, and as the game moved to the half hour, a Doucouré shot was diverted over the bar by Greaves, O’Shea and Jean-Philippe Mateta clashing heads in the build-up and the Town defender requiring treatment and a bandage for a badly cut head.
Town were without the Irish international for the subsequent corner but Chalobah headed into the back of the Sir Bobby Robson Stand.
The Blues were coming under pressure and in the 36th minute a slip at the back allowed Mateta to run towards goal but Greaves blocked.
Moments later, Greaves was in the way of a Palace effort again, turning the ball away from goal at the far post after Daniel Munoz sent an effort across goal from Tyrick Mitchell’s pull -back.
In the 38th minute, Eze had the visitors’ clearest chance of the half after Mateta’s pass from the right played the England international in on goal the wrong side of Burns. The Wales international did well to put the former QPR man under pressure as he ran in on goal and his shot when it came was too close to Muric, who saved.
Town, who had had a period of the player going one way and the pass the other whenever they were looking to break, began to get more of a foothold back in the game as the half moved into its final five minutes.
In the penultimate scheduled minute, Burns tried a speculative effort from distance which won a corner, from which Harry Clarke flicked at the near-post, Delap helped on and Henderson blocked on the line.
Town were the ones pressing at the end of three minutes of additional time with the half having been evenly balanced with both sides having had spells on top and a couple of chances apiece.
Palace had started on the front foot but the Blues had had the first opportunity through O’Shea, then had a spell on top.
The visitors took charge in the middle period when Town game under significant pressure but the Blues were beginning to come more into it close the the break following a scruffy middle period when too many passes were going astray when they were going forward.
As so often, there had been little in the first half and the game is there to be won in the second.
Town: Muric, H Clarke, O'Shea, Greaves, Davis, Morsy (c), Cajuste, Burns, Hutchinson, J Clarke, Delap. Subs: Walton, Johnson, Townsend, Chaplin, Taylor, Phillips, Szmodics, Al Hamadi, Broadhead.
Palace: Henderson, Chalobah, Lacroix, Guehi (c), Munoz, Hughes, Doucoure, Mitchell, Sarr, Eze, Mateta. Subs: Turner, Richards, Ward, Clyne, Kporha, Lerma, Schlupp, Devenny, Nketiah. Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire). VAR official: Chris Kavanagh.
_Photo: Reuters_
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