2 days ago
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MAYHEM by the Thames ended with four goals shared and three penalties which left nobody happy.
But while Thomas Tuchel probably did not have Portman Road on his initial list of grounds to visit, he will surely have to go to Suffolk to run the rule over Liam Delap soon.
GettyRaul Jimenez’ stoppage time finish – the Mexican’s second from the spot – denied Delap and Ipswich what would have been a smash and grab win.
Yet the Winchester born front man, 21, is increasingly looking like everything you would want in a striker.
Powerful, determined, brave and ceaseless in his endeavour. Maybe not pretty in pink, but certainly effective.
More crucially, for an Ipswich side who know that staying up would be one of the great stories of the past decade, the man for the big moment too.
He showed steering home the controversial penalty he earned to put Kieran McKenna’s men on course for their first home win against Chelsea on Tuesday.
And within seconds of Fulham levelling through a spot kick awarded by a VAR intervention, Delap first earned, and then converted, his own chance from 12 yards.
When he went off with two minutes left, Ipswich were about to exit the drop zone.
They would have done, too, had the foot of the post not denied substitute Jack Clarke just before Jimenez took a tumble over Leif Davis’ outstretched leg to extend Fulham’s unbeaten run to eight matches.
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In the end, a draw was probably about right – especially as Fulham would have been left raging against the officials and wondering how they had got so little out of so much possession.
Yet this was about another impressive display by Delap – and further evidence he must be one of the names on Tuchel’s radar.
From the very start, when he turned Joachim Andersen brilliantly on half-way to surge into the Fulham half, Delap was superb.
The striker, 21, has been outstanding for the Tractor Boys this season, despite frequently ploughing a lone furrow up top.
At the Cottage, the former Manchester City man again showed strength, touch and desire to turn and drive despite being left isolated for long periods as Ipswich were without injured duo Omari Hutchinson and Conor Chaplin.
Yet Delap was ready when the moments came, the first coming seven minutes before the break.
Fulham, had dominated the ball, with Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson at the heart of everything, but their only real chance saw Raul Jimenez rising to head Tom Cairney’s cross back down and towards the corner, with Christian Walton to plunging to his left and parry to safety.
The home fans – and boss Marco Silva – were baying for a red card as Davis cynically wiped out Wilson following more smart interplay with Jimenez.
Referee Darren Bond, though, correctly adjudged that Wilson’s heavy touch meant he would not have got to the ball before the covering Jacob Greaves.
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PAFor all the sound and fury – yes, at Craven Cottage – yellow was the right decision, confirmed by Paul Tierney at Stockley Park.
To Silva’s disgust, the visitors were soon ahead after Delap thrust down the left before feeding Davis, who in turn flipped to Nathan Broadhead.
Antonee Robinson, under pressure from Ben Johnson rose at the back post, headed against his own bar but Calvin Bassey’s panicky miskick was brutally punished as Sammie Szmodics smashed home off the central defender’s body.
Smith Rowe’s introduction at the break, Diop withdrawn as the home side switched to a back four, came with Silva reiterating his case over the Davis card to referee Bond.
Bassey, so badly at fault for the goal, partially redeemed himself with an important touch to divert Davis’ low cross away from the advancing Szmodics soon after the restart.
And while Fulham had far more of the ball, only only a fine diving save by Bernd Leno, after Delap had knocked down Dara O’Shea’s long ball into the path of Broadhead, kept the home side in touch.
What followed was dramatic and summed up the seesaw nature of the Prem.
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ReutersFirst Sam Morsy raked his studs down Wilson’s calf as he jinked into the box.
The referee did not see it but it was a clear-cut contact to send Wilson to the ground and with the Fulham man incandescent, Bond was rightly sent to the pitchside monitor.
Jimenez, who had waited an age, stroked home to level – only for the game to instantly swing again.
Broadhead found Delap on the left and he twisted inside Timothy Castange’s challenge before being kicked by the Belgian’s swinging foot.
Clear contact, spotted by the referee, who pointed instantly to the spot.
And while Silva smiled in perplexed disbelief, it was never going to be overturned.
Delap took full advantage, crashing home into the top corner.
It looked as if it was going to be enough before Jimenez tempted Davis into his injudicious lunge and picked out the top corner.
Chaos, yes. But Delap is emerging as the real deal.
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