Arsenal and Ipswich Town last faced off so long ago that even the existing Carabao Cup tournament had a different name
It’s been a while since Arsenal and Ipswich Town last faced off in a professional match. After 13 years the two teams collide on Boxing Day in the ongoing 2024/25 English Premier League season.
While Kieran McKenna’s are reeling in their return season, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal find themselves in the top 3 (however, not as strong as how they were the last two seasons). With Bukayo Saka now out, Arsenal will be looking to experimenting ‘Starboy’s’ position in the fixture at the Emirates that is considered to be a rather easy one.
However, in this article, we will take a look at the last meeting between Arsenal and Ipswich Town, which took place on the 25th of January, 2011. Those were the days when relatively weaker teams made it to the knockout stages of the League Cup pretty often. In recent times, especially after 2020, the knockout stages of the tournament have been dominated by the top teams of the Premier League.
Back to 2011, both Arsenal and Ipswich had made it to the semi-finals of the League Cup (famously known as the Carling Cup back then). In the first leg of the semi-final at Portman Road Stadium, Ipswich had won 1-0, keeping the Gunners at bay. The loss made Arsenal fans anxious as back then, they were into their sixth year without a silverware (Since 2005 FA Cup).
Ipswich Town’s resistance was broken only in the second half of the second leg
Ipswich Town carried their resillience and defiance from the first leg to the Emirates as well. A frustrated Arsenal were left goalless in the first half adding to more tension in the atmosphere.
However, the Gunners had a burst of energy starting from the second half. In just three minutes, right after the hour mark, Arsenal struck twice – through – Nicklas Bendtner and Laurent Koscielny. A while later Cesc Fabregas tripled Arsenal’s lead, to make it 3-0. There was no way back for the then-Championship side after that, as Arsenal marched onto the final.
Arsenal would go on to lose the final
Although Arsenal were clear favorites ahead of their Carling Cup final against Birmingham City, a calamitous piece of defending from Laurent Koscielny and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saw them lose the game in the dying minutes of the final, when the score was level, 1-1.
Their trophy drought would go on to extend until 2014, until their famous comeback win in the FA Cup final against Hull City.