A hard-fought East Anglian derby ended all square, Jacob Murphy equalising for Norwich to earn a point after Ipswich had taken the lead against the run of play through Jonas Knudsen’s header 1.56pm GMT Both teams may feel a little disappointed with a draw. It’s what Ipswich came for, but they executed their game plan so well and took a second-half lead after Bartosz Bialkowski, who was otherwise excellent, let Jacob Murphy’s shot squeeze inside his near post. Norwich had most of the chances, with Cameron Jerome particularly guilty of wastefulness, and the play-offs now look a long shot despite avoiding the anguish of a derby defeat. Thanks for joining me. Bye! 1.53pm GMT That’s that. Honours even in the East Anglian derby, after Jacob Murphy cancelled out Jonas Knudsen’s opener for Ipswich. 1.53pm GMT 94 mins: Pritchard’s corner goes over everybody, and Ward clears. Norwich come straight back at Ipswich, but Pritchard’s ambitious cross shot drifts behind goal. 1.51pm GMT 93 mins: Norwich still probing, Ipswich sitting deep. Two minutes to hold out as Skuse, perhaps the standout player, wrestles the ball from Jacob Murphy. Another Norwich corner. 1.50pm GMT 92 mins: Knudsen tries a little trickery near the corner flag, flicking the ball up and clearing – straight into the stand. The throw-in bobbles and bounces all the way to Bialkowski. 1.48pm GMT 90 mins: Another Norwich corner goes begging, Pritchard’s cross turned wide by Klose. Five minutes to go. 1.48pm GMT 89 mins: Hearts in mouths for Ipswich fans as Jerome races onto Pritchard’s pass, and is bundled over by Berra in the area. Jerome is flagged offside, the correct call by a very narrow margin. 1.45pm GMT 88 mins: Dijks, a persistent attacking threat down the left, fires a low shot that Bialkowski holds onto with relative comfort. 1.44pm GMT 86 mins: Every Ipswich player is back in their own half as Jordan Spence hauls down Josh Murphy, and earns a late booking. 1.43pm GMT 85 mins: Ipswich break, but Moore’s long, hopeful cross towards McGoldrick is cut out by Klose. At the other end, Jacob Murphy’s cross is headed over by Jerome, who was closely marked by Chambers. 1.41pm GMT 84 mins: Ward’s cross towards Moore is dealt with by Martin, and the ball is worked upfield. Dijks picks out Pritchard, whose disguised near-post shot almost wrongfoots Bialkowski – but the goalkeeper gets down well to turn it behind. 1.40pm GMT 83 mins: Ipswich are ably running down the clock. Despite Jacob Murphy’s equaliser, this would still be a much better point for them than for Norwich. 1.39pm GMT 81 mins: Jacob Murphy’s long, low pass is helped on by Pritchard to Josh Murphy. His cross is deflected behind, but the referee doesn’t spot it, and awards a goal kick. 1.38pm GMT 80 mins: Mick McCarthy somehow adds more solidity to his line-up, bringing on Toumani Diagouraga, on loan from Leeds, to replace Emyr Huws. 1.37pm GMT 79 mins: Josh Murphy fires in a cross from the left that Spence blocks. There are hearty appeals for handball, but Langford isn’t having a bar of it. 1.36pm GMT 78 mins: Ipswich keep the ball in the Norwich half, before Knudsen’s cross is cleared away. Another Norwich change, with former Spurs man Alex Pritchard replacing Wes Hoolahan. 1.34pm GMT 76 mins: Change for Norwich, as Josh Murphy comes on in place of Steven Naismith. 1.34pm GMT 75 mins: Oof! Tettey shoots from 20 yards, and collects the rebound after Berra blocks. He steps inside the Ipswich area and crashes a shot at goal, but Bialkowski gets a big left hand to it, and turns it behind! 1.33pm GMT 74 mins: Dijks’ floating cross is met by Jerome, who can’t steer it inside the far post. Ipswich bring on Kieffer Moore, a quintessential big man up front, in place of the peripheral Freddie Sears. 1.31pm GMT “Jerome is just not good enough and should have bagged a first half hat trick, and why does Alex Neil play Naismith? He offers nothing going forward” says Richard Everitt, a Norwich fan watching in Delhi whose mood will have improved since he sent this. 1.30pm GMT 72 mins: This one is nicely poised with 20 minutes to go. Alex Neil will be mightily relieved – Norwich looked to have run out of ideas going forward. 1.28pm GMT 71 mins: That goal from Jacob Murphy is bad news for twin brother Josh, who was about to come on. There’s been a break in play for Howson to receive treatment. 1.27pm GMT Murphy plays a one-two with Hoolahan, cuts to his right, and shoots low towards the near post. Bialkowski gets down to it, but the ball squirts into the net! That’s a costly mistake, and Norwich are level. 1.25pm GMT 68 mins: Naismith has a half-chance from a tight angle, and finds enough power to force Bialkowski to parry clear. 1.25pm GMT 67 mins: Norwich had looked by far the likelier team to open the scoring, but Cameron Jerome missed a free header, and was given a lesson in finishing by left-back Knudsen. Now, the hosts have 25 minutes to avoid a painful defeat. 1.24pm GMT 65 mins: Ipswich win a free kick close to the corner flag, but Klose heads it clear. It’s won back and McGoldrick, who held the ball up expertly in the build-up to the goal, cuts it back to Sears, who just runs out of space. 1.22pm GMT It’s Jonas Knudsen, who scored in the reverse fixture (thanks Nick Ames), that gives Ipswich the lead, meeting Jordan Spence’s cross at the far post with a thumping downward header. It bounces into the ground and rises into the far corner with John Ruddy on his heels! 1.20pm GMT Ipswich strike on the break to take the lead! 1.19pm GMT 61 mins: A brilliant improvised backheel from Jerome sets Hoolahan free in space, but with Howson ahead of him, he can’t get away from Cole Skuse, who battles back to regain the ball. 1.18pm GMT 60 mins: Ipswich have 10 men back, but none of them bother to mark Cameron Jerome, who has a free header from 10 yards out. It’s straight at Bialkowski; another let off for Ipswich. 1.17pm GMT 59 mins: Free kick in a useful position, as Sears clips Ivo Pinto’s heels. It’s a booking for Sears too, and a chance for Hoolahan to whip a cross in from 25 yards out. 1.16pm GMT 57 mins: Dijks, unable to get up to support Murphy down the left, moves forward now but pelts a cross out of play. Murmurs of frustration from the home fans. 1.15pm GMT 56 mins: Sears pops up on the right and hooks a cross in that McGoldrick can’t quite reach. Knudsen collects it on the far side, but his cross is cleared and Norwich break. Ipswich still have numbers back, and Jacob Murphy is swallowed up by the blue defensive wall. 1.14pm GMT 55 mins: Tommy Smith comes on for Kenlock and will drop into the back three, with Jonas Knudsen moving out to wing-back. 1.13pm GMT 54 mins: Sears has been frustrated up front, drifting out wide to get on the ball, and conceding a cheap free kick when he does get possession. 1.12pm GMT 53 mins: Norwich keep the ball in opposition territory, moving the ball across midfield – but Knudsen closes Hoolahan down, then wins a free kick. 1.08pm GMT 50 mins: Under pressure, Pinto concedes possession, and McGoldrick finds Sears, who runs out of options on the left. Norwich tear up the other end, but Dijks’ cross from the left curls into Bialkowski’s gloves. 1.07pm GMT 48 mins: Hoolahan has found his range, his free kick from way out wide on the right finding Naismith, whose header is saved smartly by Bialkowski. 1.06pm GMT 47 mins: Norwich have a goal disallowed! Hoolahan’s corner sails over Bialkowski’s head, and Dijks bundles the ball in – but it’s chalked off, and replays show the defender sneakily punched the ball into the net. 1.04pm GMT 46 mins: McGoldrick sees a hopeful shot from 25 yards repelled by Russell Martin. He was Ipswich’s best attacking outlet in the first half, not that there was much competition. 1.03pm GMT Ipswich start the second half. 1.01pm GMT Having mentioned Ed Sheeran, I’ve spent half-time trying to find a musical Norwich fan, in the interests of balance. The best I can do is Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Still, this is a belter: 12.47pm GMT A local derby between two inconsistent teams, kicking off at noon on a Sunday, has panned out as expected so far. Norwich have had the better chances, but Ipswich could have had a penalty in the early stages. Still all to play for, back in a bit. 12.45pm GMT 44 mins: Naismith gets to the ball ahead of Spence, who brings the Norwich forward down. Hoolahan curls the ball in, but Jerome is penalised for a push. 12.43pm GMT 43 mins: A shot on goal from Ipswich, McGoldrick weaving between two defenders before shooting high and wide from an improbable angle. 12.42pm GMT 42 mins: We’ve just been treated to a lingering shot of Ipswich fan Ed Sheeran in the stands, which sums up the last couple of minutes. 12.41pm GMT 40 mins: Bialkowski, offering us a passable Manuel Neuer impression in the first half, races out of his area and chests the ball past Jerome, before clearing into the stands. 12.41pm GMT 39 mins: Hoolahan drifts out to the left and rolls the ball back to Murphy, whose angled effort is deflected wide. Somehow, that’s Norwich’s ninth corner, and like the eight before it, it is wasted. 12.39pm GMT 37 mins: That lapse in concentration has inspired Norwich, and Hoolahan forces a corner off Knudsen. He takes it himself, and after a spot of pinball, a desperate shout for handball as the ball deflects off Knudsen’s knee. 12.37pm GMT 35 mins: From a harmless long ball upfield, Berra heads the ball back to Bialkowski, unaware the keeper has charged off his line. Jerome races onto it close to the byline, but can’t hook the ball home, sending it into the stands to Berra’s immense relief. 12.35pm GMT 34 mins: Naismith and Spence are both down briefly after colliding on the touchline, as both sets of fans continue to exchange pleasantries. 12.33pm GMT 33 mins: Berra concedes a corner, which Jacob Murphy plays short. The ball ends up back at the halfway line, but is worked back to Naismith. Dijks relays his low cross to Hoolahan, 20 yards out, but his shot is dreadful. 12.32pm GMT 31 mins: Ipswich’s 3-5-2 is clogging up the middle of the park, but Spence on the right has been isolated. Dijks motors past him once again, but his low cross evades Jerome. 12.30pm GMT 30 mins: Alex Neil, a man who looks permanently under pressure, is haranguing his players from the touchline. The intensity has dropped in the last few minutes, although a Dijks diagonal to Jerome has Bialkowski off his line to slice the ball clear. 12.28pm GMT 28 mins: Lovely stuff from McGoldrick, playing a backheeled one-two before sweeping the ball wide to Kenlock, in space down the left flank. Like most of Ipswich’s attacking play so far, it ultimately comes to nothing. 12.27pm GMT 26 mins: Pinto almost dallies too long in defence, McGoldrick breathing down his neck, but he clears the ball away. 12.26pm GMT 24 mins: Klose gets his head to the long free kick, and Norwich break upfield. Howson tries to find Jerome from the right-hand side, but Bialkowski collects it. 12.25pm GMT 23 mins: Ipswich’s three-man midfield are having a little more joy, and Skuse sets up McGoldrick, who is brought down by Howson. Free kick just outside the centre circle, and Howson gets a good talking to. 12.23pm GMT 22 mins: Ipswich have had more of the ball so far, according to the stats. It hasn’t felt like it. 12.22pm GMT 21 mins: Murphy spins in midfield, but misjudges his through ball to Jerome, who will latch on to one of these eventually. 12.21pm GMT 19 mins: Norwich, who have seen three decent chances come and go, are making all the running now. Ivo Pinto cuts through the Ipswich defence with a diagonal pass, but Bialkowski is off his line to claim ahead of Jerome. 12.19pm GMT 17 mins: Yikes, that was close. Dijks outfoxes Spence down the left, shaping to cross and cutting inside, before firing a low cross towards Jerome. It rebounds off Knudsen, and Bialkowski has to react fast to turn the ball over, and prevent an Ipswich own goal. 12.17pm GMT 16 mins: We’ve just had a round of applause, apparently to celebrate Ipswich’s 15 years in the second tier. That’s impressively petty. 12.16pm GMT 15 mins: The first corner is cleared, but the second finds Jerome unsupervised – but his awkward header loops well over the bar. 12.15pm GMT 13 mins: Ipswich doing a decent job of keeping their hosts at bay, their five-man defence pressing the Norwich midfield – but Kenlock plays Jerome onside from a through ball, and Berra has to get back smartly to concede a corner. 12.13pm GMT 11 mins: Norwich win a free kick in Ipswich territory, Jacob Murphy drawing a foul from Cole Skuse with some fancy footwork. Ipswich are awarded a free kick to end the move, resulting in hearty ironic cheers from the away end. 12.11pm GMT 9 mins: Controversy from the corner, as McGoldrick is penalised for a tussle with Dijks. Replays show that the Dutch defender hauled the Ipswich striker over. Where’s Mike Dean when you need him? 12.09pm GMT 8 mins: Norwich stroke it around at the back, but Dijks is caught out by Spence, whose cross finds Sears in the area. McGoldrick is in the middle, but Sears’ cut back is cleared behind. 12.07pm GMT 6 mins: Another opportunity for Norwich, as Dijks is allowed to motor down the left, before crossing low for Hoolahan. It escapes him, but runs through to Jerome, whose first-time shot on the turn flies wide. He had time to take a touch. 12.06pm GMT 4 mins: Cameron Jerome does his slow, ball-shielding shuffle all the way upfield to win a corner. It’s swung towards Howson, who fluffs his volley – but it rebounds to him, and his second shot squirms just wide, via a deflection. 12.04pm GMT 3 mins: Silky link-up play between Ward and Emyr Huws, before Spence pings in a deep cross that’s cleared away. 12.03pm GMT 2 mins: Grant Ward is introduced to the game by Mitchell Dijks, the Norwich left-back stopping an Ipswich attack with a crunching tackle. 12.01pm GMT Referee Oliver Langford gets us started. Norwich are in yellow shirts and green shorts, Ipswich all in blue. 11.55am GMT Cracking atmosphere inside Carrow Road, even at this ungodly hour on a Sunday. This is a big game for Norwich for reasons beyond the obvious. Sheffield Wednesday’s loss to Leeds means that a win here, and another at Hillsborough next Saturday will leave the Canaries perched on the cusp of the play-offs. 11.39am GMT Two changes for Norwich, with Steven Naismith back from injury and Wes Hoolahan also coming into the starting eleven. Alex Pritchard and January signing Yanic Wildschut drop to the bench. Ipswich are unchanged from the draw with Leeds, with Tom Lawrence serving the final game of a suspension. 11.29am GMT Here’s Phil Withall:“To add a little context to the challenge Ipswich face. Last time they won a derby Barack Obama had been president of the United States for three months. There has been quite a few important events since then. Ipswich can only hope a Trumpian upset occurs.”Indeed, it’s been 2,871 days since Ipswich last beat Norwich – April 2009, when this tribute to Mick McCarthy was riding high in the charts: 11.22am GMT Norwich City: Ruddy; Ivo Pinto, Martin, Klose, Dijks; Howson, Tettey, Jacob Murphy, Hoolahan; Naismith, Jerome. Subs: McGovern, Whittaker, Wildschut, Lafferty, Pritchard, Bennett, Josh Murphy. Ipswich Town: Bialkowski; Spence, Chambers, Berra, Knudsen, Kenlock; Ward, Skuse, Huws; McGoldrick, Sears. 12.14am GMT The 103rd East Anglian derby arrives with both Norwich and Ipswich striving to hit the Championship home straight with the sort of forward momentum that’s eluded both sides for most of the season. Norwich have lost just twice in 10 league games since Boxing Day – but those defeats came away to Burton and Rotherham. That stuttering run has left them playing catch-up in the play-off race, while Ipswich are mired in mid-table despite finding some rare consistency in February: four games unbeaten, and points picked up against Brighton, Reading and Leeds. That has eased the pressure on Mick McCarthy, although it’s sure to return in spades with defeat today. Continue readingreadfullarticle
