Ipswich Town 0-0 Fulham - Half-Time
Saturday, 10th Oct 2026 15:55
The Blues’ home game with Fulham remains 0-0 at half-time.
Town made three changes from the team which lost 1-0 at Everton before the international break with Florentino Luis, Jaden Philogene and Daizen Maeda coming into the XI.
Florentino was handed his full league debut for the Blues in the centre of midfield with Exequiel Palacios on the bench having returned from international duty with Argentina late in the week.
Maeda was wide on the right with Abdul Fatawu suspended following his red card at Everton with Philogene, making his first league start of the season, on the left and Jack Clarke also among the subs, as was, for the first time this season, Azor Matusiwa.
Fulham made two changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Manchester United prior to the hiatus, with Ryan Sessegnon and Kenny Tete coming in to the team as the full-backs for Antonee Robinson, who missed out on a place in the squad, and Timothy Castagne, who was among the subs.
Fulham dominated the ball in the early stages but with out threatening, other than a cross from the right which Christian Walton in the Town goal did well to punch well away.
But as the five-minute mark passed, the Blues began to take control, Abdoul Ouattara wafting a cross over from the right, which was nodded behind for a corner from which the ball scuffed off skipper Dara O’Shea’s head and out to the other flank before being cleared.
On 16, former Whites midfielder Sasa Lukic chased a ball over the top but visitors’ keeper Bernd Leno was off his line quickly to clear, albeit not too convincingly.
Ouattara quickly won the ball back not far outside the Fulham area to the right and fed Julio Enciso, who struck a low shot not too far past Leno’s left post.
In the 19th minute, Lukic dispossessed Oscar Bobb midway inside the Cottagers’ half, before taking it on and feeding Philogene, whose low shot from an angle was too close to Leno.
Soon after, Leif Davis was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Josh King, much to the left-back’s frustration as he had won the ball, although by poking a boot between the Fulham forward’s legs.
There was a scare for the Blues in the 21st minute when O’Shea gifted possession on the right as he sought to clear from the byline, Bobb bringing it in and crossing with the ball looping up off Lukic’s sliding challenge and Ouattara heading out at the far post. From the corner, David Affengruber nodded wide at the back post.
Fulham had got back on top following Town’s spell in charge and in the 24th minute Sessengnon nodded wide at the far post from a looping cross from the right.
Moments later, Enciso played Maeda in with a lofted ball down the middle, but the Japanese international lost his footing as he took it down when through on goal inside the box and the danger was gone.
On 27, Sander Berge smashed a free-kick into Lukic in the Town wall from 25 yards, a VAR check for handball going in the Blues’ favour.
As the game reached the half-hour mark, a long spell of Whites possession ended with Berge being found in space in the area on the right by Bobb from where he struck a shot which Walton did well to bat over.
In the 35th minute, Ouattara sent Maeda away on the right, but the former Celtic man’s cross was too far in front of his teammates.
A minute later, the Japanese international again got beyond Fulham left-back Sessengnon down the right and once again crossed too early for those bursting down the middle.
Two minutes later, Berge played in Gonzalo Garcia making a run into the Town area unchecked from the left, but the Spanish international shanked his shot wide of the near post from a promising position.
On 40, Enciso played a clever pass forward for Maeda on the edge of the box but the Japanese international’s first touch on the half-turn let him down and the ball ran to safety.
Four minutes later, Maeda lost Sessengnon and the former Spurs man was found on the edge of the area but his shot curled wide of Walton’s left post. Soon after, Garcia was booked for catching O’Shea late, although replays suggested the Fulham forward had lost his footing.
That was the last action of a half in which the visitors had seen most of the ball and had the better of the few chances - Walton had made the only significant save - but with Town also very much in it and having had opportunities to cause the visitors greater danger had better decisions been taken or passes received more comfortably.
All to play for in the second half as Town look for their second Premier League home win of the season.
Town: Walton, Ouattara, O’Shea (c), Diop, Davis, Florentino, Lukic, Maeda, Philogene, Enciso, Emersonn. Subs: Scherpen, Furlong, Matusiwa, Walle Egeli, Flemming, Greaves, Palacios, Akpom, Clarke.
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Bassey (c), Affengruber, Sessegnon, Berge, Charles, Bobb, King, Iwobi, Garcia. Subs: Lecomte, Andersen, Palacios, Muniz, Kevin, Larsson, Angel, Castagne, Smith Rowe. Referee: Lewis Smith (Lancashire), Assistants: Scott Ledger, Akil Howson. Fourth official: John Busby. VAR: James Bell. Assistant VAR: Alex Chilowicz.
_Photo: Matchday Images_