| Ipswich Town 3 v 0 Hull City SkyBet Championship Tuesday, 3rd October 2023 Kick-off 19:45 |  |
Ipswich Town 3-0 Hull City - Match Report Tuesday, 3rd Oct 2023 21:53 Brilliant Town returned to the top of the Championship after a comprehensive 3-0 defeat of Hull City, who had gone into the match unbeaten in eight, at Portman Road. Wes Burns got the Blues off to the perfect start with a powerful strike in the fifth minute with Town dominating the first half before Conor Chaplin made it 2-0 four minutes before the break. The Blues, who put in their performance of the season so far, sealed the victory with Marcus Harness’s first of the season on 65. Boss Kieran McKenna made four changes with skipper Sam Morsy coming back into his usual central midfield role for Lee Evans, who was absent from the 20-man squad having suffered a knee injury at Huddersfield on Saturday. Brandon Williams took over from Harry Clarke at right-back with the former Arsenal man dropping to the bench. George Edmundson’s first league start of the season came for Cameron Burgess, who was missing from the squad, presumably having picked up a knock. Marcus Harness was on the left of the trio behind the striker with Omari Hutchinson, starter on Saturday and against Wolves last Tuesday, among the subs. Also on the bench was Christian Walton, for the first time in the league since joining Town in the summer of 2021, returning to the squad for the first time this campaign having suffered a plantar fascia injury in pre-season, along with Nathan Broadhead, who missed the trip to the John Smith’s Stadium with a minor thigh problem. Hull, who had won their last six at Portman Road and were unbeaten in seven on Suffolk soil, made three changes from the team which drew 1-1 with Plymouth Argyle at the weekend. Lewie Coyle came in for Ruben Vinagre and Jacob Greaves for Sean McLoughlin with the two men out of the XI on the bench, while Liam Delap took over from Regan Slater, who is out with a hamstring injury. Town, with sponsor Ed Sheeran watching from his box having appeared on Town TV and behind one of the Portman Road bars prior to kick-off, took the lead via the game’s first serious attack in the fifth minute. Leif Davis played a cross-field ball from the left, Chaplin allowed it to reach Burns in space behind him on the other flank and the Wales international took a touch before smashing a brilliant strike past Hull keeper Ryan Allsop to his right and into the net, his second Championship goal and his first since January 2016. In the 11th minute, Davis exchanged passes with Harness and cut the ball back from the byline on the left, sending it across the six-yard box but with no Town player on hand to add the final touch. Town were well on top with Hull giving the ball away far too easily whenever they won it back. On 13, George Hirst almost played in Chaplin with a clever pass, which was just cut out, then a minute later Burns crossed from the right and Hirst was just unable to get a clean attempt at goal under pressure from Greaves. There was a scare for the Blues in the 16th minute when Delap was sent away on the right. Edmundson did well to put his body between the on-loan Manchester City man and the ball but as Town looked to allow Vaclav Hladky to claim the ball, Aaron Connolly was able to get a toe on it but fortunately scuffed it wide. But aside from that, it was all Town, Harness cutting past Jean Michael Seri inside the box before hitting a well-struck right-foot shot which Allsop batted away. On 20, Harness had another go from distance, Hirst laying it back to the former Pompey man after good work from Chaplin, but this time his effort drifted wide of Allsop’s left post. As the game moved towards the half-hour mark, the Tigers had their first spell of sustained possession, Jaden Philogene hitting a shot through to Hladky, which the Town keeper juggled then claimed, from the edge of the box following a corner. However, the Blues threatened again in the 32nd minute, Burns cutting inside from the right to Harness, who appeared to have the ball stabbed away from him by Seri, but referee Matt Donohue awarded a goal-kick. Three minutes later, Luongo won a bouncing ball back on the edge of the Hull box before hitting a low shot only just wide of Allsop’s right post. In the 38th minute, Davis was fouled on the left and took a low free-kick in to Chaplin, whose first-time shot deflected into the path of Harness but his effort from a tight angle hit the side-netting. Town had got themselves firmly back in control and in the 41st minute they doubled their lead via a brilliant team goal. Edmundson played back to Hladky, who under pressure from two Hull attackers feinted past one before playing a pass beyond the other back to Edmundson, to cheers from the home support and applause from team-mate Sone Aluko with the analysts on the gantry in front of the press box. Within seconds, the ball had been moved on to Harness, who rode a tackle before feeding Davis, who was breaking down the left. Rather than crossing into the box, the former Leeds man played a pass to Chaplin who was breaking towards the area and the former Barnsley man took a touch before curling a superb strike into the top corner of Allsop’s net to the keeper’s right. Having gone two in front, the Blues went looking for more, Chaplin taking a half-clearance from a Burns cross down on his chest but allowing it to bounce just too far in front of him in order to get in his shot. As the half moved into three minutes of injury time, Town went close again, Harness turning Burns’s pass from the right into the path of Chaplin, whose shot deflected wide. That was the last chance of an excellent half which had been dominated by the Blues aside from a brief spell midway through the half. Burns’s excellent early strike set Town on their way and the Blues had had a number of other chances to increase their lead before Chaplin’s superbly-worked second. Town had played as well as at any time this season, controlling the game, passing patiently and methodically, then upping the tempo when required with Davis on one flank and Burns on the other both causing problems all half. Hull made a change at the break as manager Liam Rosenior, a Town loanee during Roy Keane’s time as boss, sought to get his side back into the match with Scott Twine taking over from Adama Traore. The Tigers were first to threaten after the break, Delap playing the ball in from the right to Delap, who managed to work himself space but sent his shot on the turn well wide. It was a fortunate escape for the Blues. But Town quickly began to put the Hull goal under pressure, Chaplin playing in to Harness on the edge of the box and the former Pompey man moving it on to Hirst in the area but the striker’s low shot was too close to Allsop. On 52, the Blues claimed a penalty when Luke Woolfenden was hauled over by Coyle as a corner came across. Coyle was still holding onto the Town centre-half as Woolfenden got up after the ball had gone out but referee Donohue showed no interest. The Hull skipper subsequently received very lengthy treatment for a head injury suffered in the incident, the Town players passing the ball around and stretching to keep themselves warmed up while it continued, before being replaced by Vinagre. Once the game restarted, the Blues maintained their earlier pressure, winning two quick corners and then within another couple of minutes a third, which was taken short before Davis saw a powerful shot from a tight angle saved by Allsop. But Town didn’t have to wait too much longer for their third goal of the evening. In the 65th minute, Hirst chased Hladky’s long pass into space down left, leaving his man on the turf in his wake, before cutting low into the area to Harness, who stabbed his first goal of the season - and first in the Championship - across Allsop and into the corner of the net. Having gone three behind, the visitors made a triple change Dogukan Sinik, McLoughlin and Greg Docherty replacing Connolly, Seri and Tyler Morton. On 74 Hull claimed what would have been a very generous penalty after Williams had challenged him inside the box as the former MK Dons man looked to shoot by the on-loan Manchester City full-back had won the ball. Town continued to look for goals, Hirst stealing the ball from the ponderous Cyrus Christie on 77 before hitting a shot against McLoughlin from the edge of the area. As the 553 travelling Hull City fans ironically chanted “We’ve got the ball!” after a rare spell of possession, such had been the Blues’ dominance, Town made a quadruple change. Harness, Chaplin, Hirst and Burns made their way off to a huge ovation from the home support as Hutchinson, Dane Scarlett, Kayden Jackson and Freddie Ladapo took over. Following the changes, Hull struck their first on-target shot of the second half - and second of the match - Christie hitting a low effort through to Hladky from just inside the area after a free-kick, the keeper claiming comfortably down to his right. Town felt they should have been awarded a penalty in the 85th minute when Sinik slid in and sent the on-loan Chelsea man tumbling just inside the area but referee Donohue wasn’t interested. As at Huddersfield, Hutchinson appeared very unfortunate not to have been awarded a spot-kick. Two minutes later, Jaden Philogene shot with power but straight at Hladky with the Tigers keeping at it despite the scoreline. The Blues made their last change of the evening in the final scheduled minute, Jack Taylor taking over from Massimo Luongo in midfield, before the fourth official’s board indicated seven additional minutes. Twine’s free-kick clipped the top of the wall and looped over before Delap shot not too fr wide of Hladky’s left post. Referee Donohue’s whistle was the signal for a huge roar around Portman Road, the Blues having passed what had been billed as a stiff test very comfortably. The Blues started strongly, scored Burns’s excellent first goal, then probably ought to have added to their lead prior to Chaplin’s superbly worked second. Town were if anything more dominant in the second with Harness deserving his first goal at Championship level to cement the Blues’ fifth league win out of six at home this season. The Blues have ended a long wait for a home victory over the Tigers, who were unbeaten in seven going into tonight’s match, winning the last six. Town’s last win against Hull at Portman Road was May 2008 when Jim Magilton’s side 1-0. Having won in Hull the last time the teams met in February 2021, 1-0, the Blues have recorded back-to-back victories over the Tigers for the first time in their history. The win means Town return to the top of the Championship, a point ahead of second-placed Leicester, who host third-placed Preston tomorrow night with the Lilywhites at Portman Road on Saturday. Town: Hladky, Williams, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis, Morsy (c), Luongo (Taylor 90), Burns (Jackson 81), Chaplin (Hutchinson 81), Harness (Scarlett 81), Hirst (Ladapo 81). Unused: Walton, Clarke, Ball, Broadhead. Hull City: Allsop, Coyle (c) (Vinagre 58), Jones, Greaves, Christie, Seri (McLoughlin 68), Morton (Docherty 68), Philogene, Traore (Twine 46), Delap, Connolly (Sinik 68). Unused: Ingram, Furlong, A Smith, Sellars-Fleming. Referee: Matt Donohue (Manchester). Att: 27,070 (Hull: 553).
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