To a backdrop of brilliantly bile-fuelled invective that rarely ceased from all quarters of Portman Road, the returning East Anglian derby delivered a brutal, pulsating encounter that epitomised English football at its finest: all heart and a smattering of class.
Loud, nasty, spiteful and enthralling – and that was just the hostile reception for the Norwich owner Delia Smith, whose car was struck by a flying beer can on arrival – it was perhaps fitting that it ended in a draw after a near five-year hiatus. Not that Ipswich will see things that way after spurning multiple chances in a game they really should have put to bed early on.
“That’s a 3-0 performance in the first half,” was the verdict of Kieran McKenna. Instead, his Ipswich side were made to fight back from a goal down to share the spoils.
It means Ipswich’s wait for an El Tractico victory goes on, 14 years after they last triumphed in a rivalry that matters more in these parts than any other. Perhaps somewhere, supporters of both clubs might come together to raise a glass in honour of the fine full-blooded entertainment they were treated to on this Saturday afternoon. It seems unlikely, though; cross-border friendships can wait for another day.
Ipswich have dazzled in recent times under McKenna’s fast, free-flowing brand of football. Their vibrancy was again vivid here but, to a backdrop of decibel levels high enough to travel across the fields of both Suffolk and Norfolk, they missed the opportunity to go back to the top of the Championship.
“I thought we were the better team by a considerable margin,” said McKenna. “We created lots and lots of chances, and gave away few chances. The frustration is conceding two goals from hopeful balls that ricocheted around in our box, but beyond that there is lots of positivity to take.
“On another day, if we play that game 10 times over we win it a lot more than that.”
Ipswich were vastly superior from the outset, Nathan Broadhead twice failing to score with the goal at his mercy when first dragging a shot wide after making statues of the Norwich defence with his superb close control, and then curling the wrong side of the upright soon after.
The Welshman did eventually break the deadlock, though, capitalising on Norwich’s failure to sufficiently clear an Ipswich corner, and lashing home from close range.
The sight of Vaclav Hladky’s goal was a rarity for the visiting team throughout, but an unlikely quickfire Jonathan Rowe double either side of half-time put them ahead.
His audacious bicycle kick rebounded back to him off Luke Woolfenden’s thigh, from where Rowe made light of his half-prone position by leaping up and instinctively toeing the ball past the keeper while tumbling backwards. A suspicion of offside – for the home fans, at least – remained unresolved without the aid of Stockley Park’s video officials.
Four minutes after the break, Rowe had another, driving a long throw straight through Hladky’s legs.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
The pendulum was not for halting, though, and Ipswich soon pulled level with the type of trademark slick passing move that has propelled them to second place in the table, culminating in Wes Burns drilling his shot low into the corner.
Roared until – and beyond – the final whistle, the home side pushed stoutly but could not find a winner.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the effort and shift my players put together,” said the Norwich manager, David Wagner. “If you can’t win it, you make sure you don’t lose it. This makes this result a good one. For me it was deserved. The defensive shift was outstanding today.”
