15 February 2025
Aston Villa 1 Ipswich Town 1
Unai Emery’s side are having a strange season by their own high standards. After the success of the last campaign, the wheels are coming off slightly. While they are through to the last-16 of the Champions League, ensuring they are competing in the competition as a result of their league position next season seems a big ask right now.
They welcomed Ipswich Town to Villa Park, hoping to make steps in the right direction. The visitors are still languishing in the bottom three and struggling to put in performances that can get them wins at this level. Sometimes, games like this where everyone has written you off can be somewhat of a free-hit to go out and just play your game with no fear for the consequences.
It was the visitors who had the first shot in anger. Enciso did well to win the ball back in the Villa half and tried his luck from distance. It was a simple catch from Martinez and had nowhere near the power required to beat the keeper from that range. That said, it was certainly a positive start from the newly-promoted side.
Aston Villa broke forward for their first real attack with Rogers gliding through the middle. As he checked back, to avoid the challenge from Tuanzebe, the defender’s trailing leg caught him and he was duly shown the first yellow card of the game. There were no complaints from the player, he had simply been ‘done’ by a neat piece of skill from the Villa midfielder.
The hosts should have taken the lead when Disasi clipped a brilliant ball forward. The wet surface saw it fall perfectly to Watkins in front of goal. Somehow the Villa striker shanked his shot wide of the target. It seemed like his standing leg may have slipped as he looked to hit it. Either way it was a big chance wasted by Emery’s side.
Moments later, Ramsey made a run towards the box before being dragged down. The referee awarded a free kick and felt he had no other choice but to show Tuanzebe his second yellow card of the game. A difficult match had now become near impossible as the Tractor Boys were reduced to ten men with fifty minutes of the match remaining.
Emery’s side almost made the visitors pay immediately. Watkins did well to get to the byline before cutting it back to Rogers. He fired off a first-time shot which seemed to be a goal but somehow Palmer got his fingertips to it to send it over the crossbar. It was a superb piece of goalkeeping from the Ipswich Town stopper.
Into the second-half and everyone inside Villa Park was expecting to see nothing less than a comfortable victory against the team with ten men. Hutchinson picked the ball up out wide for the visitors and whipped a low cross into the box. With three defenders around him, somehow Delap made sure he was first to the ball and neatly flicked it into the far corner.
It was a sublime finish from the former Man City youngster, really coming of age this season in the Premier League. If Ipswich are unable to stay up this season, there will be plenty of suitors for their striker, that is for sure. Nobody could have predicted this scoreline, especially when Tuanzebe was trudging off the pitch after receiving his red card.
Aston Villa continued to utilise their extra man. They won a free-kick in a dangerous position, just outside the visitors’ penalty area. Rashford stepped up to take it and looked to bend one into the top corner. With Palmer well beaten, his effort struck the crossbar and came back out. Watkins reacted quickest to volley it into the back of the empty net and draw the hosts level.
The pressure was well and truly on the Tractor Boys now if they were to get anything from this game. Tielemans did well in a wide position and picked a pass into the path of Asensio. As he ran onto it, in the middle of the goal, he struck his effort just over the crossbar. So close to marking his debut with an important goal for Aston Villa.
The hosts were growing in confidence and their attacking play was free-flowing. Rogers played a first-time balll to Asensio and he looked to pass it into the bottom corner. Only a full-stretch save from the Ipswich keeper was to deny him as he turned it around the post. Aston Villa could not believe how they were not ahead in this game.
As Emery’s side continued to press, Rashford did well out wide, crossing from the byline. Rogers attacked it at the near post and his improvised flick seemed to be heading in. Palmer made a world-class save to claw it off the goal-line. It was his first game for the Tractor Boys in the Premier League and he put in a man of the match performance.
Ipswich Town held on for a well-deserved point on the road. It will no doubt seem like two points dropped for Aston Villa, who are now six points adrift of the top four. It does not get any easier for them as they welcome league leaders Liverpool to Villa Park in midweek. They created enough chances to win the game, only a keeper on top of his game could deny them.
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