Chelsea’s comeback falls short as Ipswich hold on in 2-2 draw

Alex Palmer made three crucial late saves to deny Chelsea a dramatic comeback and dent their hopes of finishing in the top five, as the Blues were held to a 2-2 draw by Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge.

Palmer denied Trevoh Chalobah, Cole Palmer, and Enzo Fernandez in the dying moments after Chelsea had clawed back from 2-0 down, courtesy of an Axel Tuanzebe own goal and a superb strike from Jadon Sancho.

The result leaves Chelsea sixth on the table, one point behind Manchester City, who currently occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.

Earlier victories for rivals Aston Villa and City compounded the Blues’ frustration, and Newcastle’s win over Manchester United later in the day only intensified the pressure.

In a game full of momentum shifts, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was forced to name a starting XI without Liam Delap.

Ironically, it was Chelsea—interested in signing the 22-year-old forward—who looked in greater need of his finishing touch, failing to capitalize on early dominance.

In a match reported by Sky Sports, Chelsea came out strong, with Nicolas Jackson hitting the post and Ipswich’s Palmer called into action early to deny Levi Colwill and Noni Madueke.

But Ipswich stunned the hosts with two goals against the run of play. Julio Enciso opened the scoring, converting from a Ben Johnson cutback, and Johnson doubled the lead shortly after, heading in from an Enciso cross.

A VAR check confirmed the goal, thanks to semi-automated offside technology.

Chelsea responded within 20 seconds of the second half, as Marc Cucurella’s shot deflected off Tuanzebe for an own goal.

Substitute Sancho then curled in a brilliant equalizer, his first goal at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea.

Despite the momentum, Chelsea couldn’t find a winner, with Ipswich’s Palmer standing firm to deny Cole Palmer and Fernandez in stoppage time.

While Ipswich can take pride in their resilience, their Premier League survival hopes took another hit as Wolves widened the gap with a win over Tottenham.

WARNING! All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.