Ipswich 2-2 Aston Villa: Liam Delap's superb double earns Kieran McKenna's side their fourth consecutive Premier League draw of the season... as visitors miss out on chance to go second

You fishy that extracurricular nan bluish area of East Anglia, cipher will person enjoyed this lucifer much than Bayern Munich leader Vincent Kompany and his squad.

In beforehand of their flat-screen televisions successful their upmarket apartments, Bayern's players will person watched pinch delight arsenic Aston Villa took punch aft punch from Ipswich and someway managed to look from Portman Road without being knocked out, contempt missing nan chance to subordinate Liverpool connected apical of nan table.

How that leaves them for Wednesday's Champions League gathering pinch Bayern, 1 of nan biggest fixtures successful Villa's caller history, is rather different matter. Bayern themselves had a ferocious duel pinch German champions Bayer Leverkusen connected Saturday yet aft seeing really overmuch Villa put into this game, they whitethorn consciousness nan other 24 hours' remainder could beryllium decisive.

Villa leader Unai Emery surely looks successful request of a dishonesty down. Asked astir nan speedy turnaround earlier nan Bayern game, Emery showed his waspish broadside – thing he is usually capable to disguise successful public. 'We are going to suspend nan match!' he joked. 'We want to play astatine nan aforesaid level arsenic nan apical teams successful Europe. If we don't want to do that, we tin conscionable get comfortable successful nan apical 10.

'We are going to beryllium tired. This is nan situation and these are my demands. On Wednesday each subordinate is going to beryllium fantastic.'

The Basque had already fixed caller meaning to nan look 'kicking each ball' arsenic he danced astir his method area, a study successful agitation, and location will beryllium 1 facet of Villa's play that is preoccupying him supra each others.

The astir celebrated consequence successful Villa's history was a 1-0 triumph complete Bayern successful nan 1982 European Cup Final and to repetition it will require thing Villa find each excessively difficult – keeping their extremity intact.

Tyrone Mings has not played since sustaining a knee wounded connected nan opening time of nan 2023-24 run but was astatine Portman Road to watch Villa return connected his erstwhile club. His return cannot travel soon enough.

Mings is 1 of nan fewer earthy leaders successful this squad and his skills arsenic an organiser are missed severely successful a backmost statement that has not kept a cleanable expanse successful nan convention since nan 2-0 triumph astatine Arsenal past April. It is only 1 shutout successful 16 successful each competitions. No wonderment Pau Torres and Lucas Digne were niggling astatine each different for illustration a mates of sulky siblings arsenic they near nan field.

Emery's broadside had fought backmost to lead astatine half clip aft Liam Delap had put Ipswich successful front, acknowledgment to goals from Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins. Emi Martinez made good saves to support Ipswich retired but they were not to beryllium denied and Delap's 2nd pinch 18 minutes near was afloat merited.

Though Ipswich are still waiting for their first triumph of nan campaign, they should return immense encouragement from this. Against 1 of nan champion teams successful nan onshore for nan past 18 months, Town looked their opponents successful nan oculus and Emery could not person complained had his squad near pinch nothing. Ipswich will besides consciousness they were connected nan incorrect extremity of immoderate arguable calls, notably erstwhile Watkins was not moreover booked aft his elbow caught Dara O'Shea successful nan face.

'To beryllium competitory against a squad arsenic bully arsenic Villa is very positive,' said Tractor Boys boss. 'It is simply a very important result. We ever backmost ourselves astatine Portman Road.'

Ipswich are riding nan activity of optimism that carried them to consecutive promotions, and which is improbable to subside immoderate nan results this season.

With nan crowd roaring them on, Ipswich took nan lead successful nan eighth minute. When Sam Morsy's changeable cannoned disconnected team-mate Omari Hutchinson, Ezri Konsa's anemic clearance fell consecutive to Kalvin Phillips. Jack Clarke collected his erstwhile Leeds colleague's walk and trim it backmost for Delap, whose debased effort from adjacent scope crept successful via Martinez's correct hand.

Town were afloat of power astatine this stage, snapping into tackles and breaking swiftly, pinch Morsy and Hutchinson impressive. All that affirmative activity was ruined successful nan 15th minute, though.

Under small pressure, Jacob Greaves thrashed unsighted astatine a clearance heavy successful his ain box. Rogers intercepted it, took nan return shot from Watkins and swept location from 12 yards.

It was a dense rustle yet Ipswich continued to make chances. Axel Tuanzebe headed complete Leif Davis' free-kick and Clarke missed an moreover amended headed chance from different Davis cross. Emery utilized a break successful play to springiness a pep talk to Torres, Digne and Jacob Ramsey and conscionable aft nan half-hour mark, Villa edged ahead.

Following a diligent build-up, nan shot was worked backmost to Leon Bailey – successful for injured skipper John McGinn – and he crossed brilliantly pinch his weaker correct foot, allowing Watkins to gaffe betwixt Dara O'Shea and Tuanzebe and caput beyond Arijanet Muric.

If Martinez had been astatine responsibility for Delap's goal, he much than repaid his broadside earlier half-time. First he showed good reflexes to push distant Phillips' rising thrust and then, pinch Delap base down connected him, nan Argentine managed to divert nan shot wide pinch his near foot. No wonderment Martinez celebrated a prevention that was akin to his iconic extremity from France's Randal Kolo Muani successful nan 2022 World Cup Final.

By now Ipswich were increasing irritable pinch referee Stuart Attwell. They were baffled to spot Watkins flight reward erstwhile his flying elbow caught O'Shea beneath nan eye, and past Delap followed Morsy into nan book for protesting against nan yellowish paper shown to his skipper for a situation connected Rogers.

Though Ipswich were making each nan moving aft nan break, they were uncovering Villa a tougher seed to crack. Diego Carlos started to summation much power complete Delap and Martinez was not required to bail retired his squad arsenic he had successful nan first half.

Attwell was nary much celebrated pinch nan location crowd, either. Still sore astatine nan decisions they felt had gone against them successful nan opening 45 minutes, nan Ipswich fans blew their apical successful nan 2nd half. With Delap astir to burst clear connected nan left, Attwell halted play pinch Villa substitute Jaden Philogene successful nan centre of nan field.

Their anger turned to joyousness soon afterwards. Released by a speedy walk from Clarke, Delap drove for nan box, tricked his measurement acold excessively easy past Carlos and clipped nan shot beyond Martinez into nan acold corner. It was nary much than McKenna's men deserved for a capacity brimming pinch effort and accomplishment – and it could person been moreover amended had Torres not made a good sliding artifact to extremity sub Jack Taylor's thrust astatine source.