Ipswich Late Drama Against Everton: A Season of Resilience

Ipswich have already made a habit of leaving it late this season. Last-gasp winners against Sunderland and Crystal Palace had their supporters at Hill Dickinson Stadium believing there was one more twist coming when the board went up for seven added minutes.

They threw on Zian Flemming, the match-winner against Palace, to try and write the same script again. The chance came. He snatched at it. Deep into stoppage time, Flemming found space but lashed his effort over the bar, the away end groaning as the ball sailed into the night.

The drama did not stop there. Centre-half Issa Diop suddenly found himself in position to rescue a point right at the death. His strike looked destined to cause chaos, only to be smothered by a desperate, full-blooded block from Jarrad Branthwaite and James Garner. That summed up the contest: Ipswich straining for a way back, Everton bodies on the line.

For Gary O'Neil, there was still plenty to take away. His side had already forced Jordan Pickford into four outstanding saves, the Everton goalkeeper — freshly named in Thomas Tuchel's England squad — repeatedly denying them as they fought to stay in the game.

The turning point came midway through the second half. Abdul Fatawu’s dismissal changed everything. Down to 10 men, Ipswich were pinned back, their earlier ambition replaced by a backs-to-the-wall effort and the hope of one more breakaway.

On the touchline, O'Neil, managing through the emotion of a week in which his father died, watched his players chase an equaliser with real intent but no reward. They kept running, kept pressing, but the goal never came.

Even so, as the league pauses for a three-week international break, the picture is far from bleak. Ipswich sit on six points from their first five matches back in the top flight, clear of immediate danger. The late goals dried up this time — the question now is whether this early resilience can harden into a season-long survival push.