Ipswich valiantly held high-flying Brighton to a goalless draw at the Amex Stadium – and were inches away from their first Premier League win as Liam Delap struck the post in the second half.
Kieran McKenna’s side were dominated by the hosts for all of the first half and were reliant on goalkeeper Aro Muric for producing a superb double save to deny Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma in the penalty area.
The second half was much more even. While Brighton went close through a couple of Rutter efforts and Danny Welbeck’s free-kick flying just wide, Ipswich proved to be a more potent threat on the counter attack.
The best chance of the game fell to Delap who went on a solo run down the right hand side and crashed a shot off the far post from what looked like an unlikely angle.
Liam Delap nearly scored a ‘Barclaysman’ wonder goal
“It was an incredible run,” said Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna. “When you put it with his goal last week, he’s probably a Barclaysman if he does those two goals at the age of 21 in his first two games.”
Omari Hutchinson also tested Bart Verbruggen via a solo run and finish, as McKenna’s Ipswich threatened to walk away with a first Premier League win for 22 years.
Brighton regained control of the game towards the dying stages and Evan Ferguson – without a Premier League goal in 10 months – nearly stole the show but curled just wide of the far post. It was the last big chance out of the hosts’ 21 efforts on goal.
McKenna full of praise for goalkeeper Muric after difficult period
Kieran McKenna was full of praise for Ipswich goalkeeper Aro Muric
Ipswich boss McKenna jumped to the defence of first-half hero Muric, who has endured a difficult few weeks for club and country.
The goalkeeper gained criticism for some errors to allow Erling Haaland to score in their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City in Ipswich’s last away game. He was then sent home from Kosovo duty in the international break amid reports he had spent too long in nightclubs while on duty.
The goalkeeper, who denied those reports, made amends with his superb first-half double save, just two of six stops made by the 25-year-old at the Amex.
“No reservations,” said McKenna when asked if he had doubts of Muric playing on Saturday. “I had a good chat with Aro and he talked it through the situation he saw, which is different from the other versions.
“He showed why we wanted to bring him to the football club, coming into this division, finding a goalkeeper who can win you points on certain days will be massive.
“Aro has shown over the course of his career he can win points for the team. He’s a fantastic shot stopper. He’s still young for a goalkeeper, still adapting to what we want from him. Today was a big step for him and he showed why we brought him to the football club and what he brings us.
“His ceiling is really high for a goalkeeper, he needs help, support patience at times. He will get those things here. He is working with a very good goalkeeper coach, a good dressing room with people who will help him.”
Phillips shows signs of improvement after long-awaited 90 minutes
Kalvin Phillips played his first 90 minutes since December
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at the Amex Stadium:
December 2023 playing away at Red Star Belgrade. That was the last time Kalvin Phillips played a full 90 minutes in any football match.
His last full Premier League game came six months before that in May 2023 against Brentford. He has featured for three different clubs since then.
Phillips’ run of failing to complete a game came to an end in Ipswich’s 0-0 draw against Brighton and the England international grew into an astute performance. No Ipswich player managed more ball recoveries, nor won more balls in the middle third of the pitch, than the 28-year-old.
It was the first real sign of the ‘old Kalvin Phillips’ that made him such a key figure under Gareth Southgate. The quality of pass – no Ipswich player made more opposition half passes – plus the physical improvement is clear.
“He looks strong for it,” said Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna. “He got stronger as the second half went on today.
“When the game was tough, showing physicality and mentality was needed, he thrives in that situation.” There is a long way to go, but it’s a start for a player much-maligned in recent years.
Hurzeler: If we play like that, we will be successful
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler:
“It’s disappointing. I think my team did everything to win this game. We defended good, had enough chances to score. We were very dominant and that’s why it feels disappointing. But in the end, I will never judge my team on results, I will judge them by the performance. There are things we can improve. We try to improve every day, it’s still a tie we have to adapt. We are disappointed but the performance I was happy.
“We have to create more chances, to use the chances what we have. Long term if you play with this intensity, you defend like this then long term it will be successful. You have to work, improve, that’s the only thing we can influence now.”
On Joao Pedro’s absence: “He had a small issue, we shouldn’t take any risks. He might have played against Ipswich but we would have risked an injury for two or three or four weeks.
“Of course we can say Joao Pedro was missing, but we had enough chances without him. A compliment to how they defended. They made it difficult for Mitoma and my wingers.”
