Ipswich Town

Richard Woodward
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

The Ipswich Town faithful had a new hero to sing their praises to on Saturday, as Alex Palmer's dramatic saves helped earn Town a hard-fought point at Aston Villa.

The former West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper was making his Premier League debut at the age of 28. He is the latest Town player to make their top-flight bow having gone the 'long way round' through the EFL pyramid.

As well as Championship experience with the Baggies, Palmer had a loan spell in the National League with hometown club Kidderminster, plus time in League Two at Oldham and Plymouth. He was part of Lincoln's 2020-21 League One play-off side that narrowly fell short of promotion, alongside Brennan Johnson (now at Tottenham) and Morgan Rogers, who was in the Villa side on Saturday.

Town's goalkeeper struggles this season have not gone unnoticed, especially of late. The inconsistency of big-money signing Aro Muric, not least in the galling defeat by Southampton, has been compounded by a serious injury to second-choice stopper Christian Walton.

Much credit must go to Kieran McKenna and chief executive Mark Ashton for acting so decisively on deadline day to address this increasingly problematic situation.

The Blues need a strong defensive foundation if they are to stand any chance of surviving in the Premier League. Palmer is hopefully, albeit belatedly, the final piece in that puzzle.

As Joe Hart analysed on Saturday's Match of the Day, the minimum expectation for Palmer was to make saves - and he certainly did that against Villa. His counterparts had only managed a solitary clean sheet each before his arrival. While Palmer did not add to that number on Saturday, he looked assured, including with the ball to feet which has been a concern of both Muric and Walton.

If Town are to go on their now annual post-Valentine's Day charge under McKenna, it will inevitably rely on more heroics from their new goalkeeper.

Find more from Richard Woodward at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

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Former Ipswich Town defender Mick Mills praised "exceptional" Liam Delap and "brilliant" Alex Palmer for helping the Tractor Boys hold Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League, with just 10 men on the pitch.

Speaking on BBC Radio Suffolk's post-match show, Mills said: "We don't stop talking about Liam Delap, do we? From his very first game against Liverpool, I remember thinking: 'I like this fella.'

"He has pace, strength and courage. He has everything you want from a centre-forward basically - and I saw that on day one.

"We are in February now, away at Aston Villa, and he is still producing. He is still upsetting centre-backs and putting them on the deck. He is still high up in the charts for the most fouls in the division, which most centre-forwards would be happy about.

"He is an exceptional player, but we have known that for quite some time."

On goalkeeper Alex Palmer, who completed a deadline day transfer to Portman Road, Mills added: "First, he has shown a bit of character to be able to step into the club and take over completely.

"Secondly, I liked watching him in his warm-up, stopping and saving the balls. Straight away I thought to myself: 'This guy can shot-stop.' And he really can.

"Aston Villa didn't really make tremendous inroads when we were down to 10 men, but they did obviously have a number of opportunities and he dealt with them brilliantly. His handling of the ball and his balance looked good.

"Alex Palmer is up and running."

Catch up on BBC Radio Suffolk's post-match show here

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Ipswich Town.

Here are some of your comments:

Aston Villa fans:

Max: The result doesn't tell the story. As the saying goes, "games are decided by moments". Ipswich had a moment that resulted in a goal and Villa had many that resulted in ONLY the one. Ipswich defended like Spartans. There were times when Villa seemed too relaxed to press their advantage. Rashford did everything he could, but a few of the mainstays looked a little tired. Marcus has earned a start from this and the Spurs game. One bit of brightness on an otherwise dreary result.

William: I can see us finishing 10th in the Premier League, going out in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and going out in the last 16 of the Champions League. Is that a successful season? I'm not sure.

Damien: So many disappointing results in games that are absolutely winnable. Somehow we remain four/five points off the Champions League places despite our form in recent months, but I think any hope of finishing in the top six is gone. Too many teams competing between fourth and 10th now and we don't have the consistency or the efficiency to put games away. All hopes in the FA Cup and the Champions League run.

Prit: Same old problems once again in this Aston Villa season - can't keep a clean sheet and can't score enough goals. Last week we should have been out of sight against Spurs and we should have scored at least five against Ipswich. Teams above us are taking their chances and each week it makes our chances of European football more remote (unless we win the Champions League and/or the FA Cup). On the plus side, looks like Rashford and Marco Asensio could make a real contribution.

Ipswich fans:

Marcus: Fabulous game by Ipswich. We fought incredibly hard with 10 men for an hour, but Ollie Watkins' goal was unstoppable. Our new goalkeeper was man of the match - he was sensational. With a keeper on form like that, have we possibly just tipped ourselves to getting out of the relegation zone?

Glenn: Would have taken a point before the game. Going down to 10 men would have ripped your hand off for a point. How good was Alex Palmer? What a way to make your Premier League debut.

Peter: The signing of Palmer could well be the piece of the puzzle we've been missing. With Liam Delap up front we always carry a threat. Fingers crossed Julio Encisco isn't out for any sustained period as he looks dangerous too. We will stay up!

James: I can't remember celebrating a more satisfying draw, especially up against a very one-sided refereeing display. The two yellow cards given to Alex Tuanzebe were incredibly soft. I thought Kieran McKenna got the tactics spot on, defending heroically and pushing forward when the opportunity was there. Delap's goal was expertly taken, and Villa's equaliser highly unfortunate. We then stood up to everything they threw at us, with Palmer's jaw-dropping late save the icing on the cake of a thoroughly deserved point. Such a performance and result should give everyone a boost heading into a potentially season-defining game against Tottenham next weekend.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Brighton and Chelsea.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man City 4-0 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 1-2 Everton

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Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna has also been speaking to Sky Sports on whether it is a point gained: "Certainly says so from where we were at half time and going in with 10 man. I think it was pretty even game until the red card which I didn't agree with and then yeah at half time you know you are in a really difficult situation and you have to show your character, manage the game and be ready to take your moment and we did all those things really well. It's a really well earned point.

On Axel Tuanzebe's red card: "I think the first yellow was a poor one for me, I didn't think it was a foul. Even if it was a foul, I think it was a decision given against a smaller team against a bigger team away form home. It was out of the pocket before the ball even stopped rolling. I thought that was a really poor yellow. The second one there's not too many complaints."

On Liam Delap: "He did a really good job, you need a physical outlet, you want someone who can carry the ball up the pitch and he did that well. Him and Omari Hutchinson, two young players, were the highest up the pitch and they showed real growth and maturity."

On Alex Palmer: "He was excellent, the lads were delighted for him. A really good start for him in the Premier League, a big part in the point."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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After watching their side lose their last four Premier League games, Ipswich fans could have been forgiven for fearing the worst against an Aston Villa side whose last home reverse came against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup three and a half months ago.

The task facing Kieran McKenna's team was made a great deal more difficult by Axel Tuanzebe's second yellow card late in the first half, but the visitors stunned Villa Park when Liam Delap turned home Omari Hutchinson's cross 11 minutes into the second half.

Ollie Watkins' 68th-minute equaliser set up a nail-biting end to the contest, but goalkeeper Alex Palmer - making his Premier League debut at 28 - made several superb saves to preserve a hard-earned point.

Having already denied Marcus Rashford and Morgan Rogers, the February signing thwarted Marco Asensio with a one-handed save before producing a moment of goalkeeping brilliance to prevent Conor Townsend's inadvertent flick from ending up in the net.

With games against Tottenham and Manchester United to come in February, Saturday's impressive battling draw could provide the confidence boost Town need to pick up further precious points in their battle for survival.

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Aston Villa have now gained 14 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, the fourth-most of any side.

While Ipswich Town have dropped 19 points from winning positions, with only Southampton (20) and Tottenham Hotspur (21) having dropped more.

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Ipswich goalscorer Liam Delap, speaking to BBC MOTD after today's draw: "The way the game panned out in the first half, to go down to 10 men we knew it was going to be a really tough game but we believed in ourselves and showed we can compete. Everyone who started the game and who finished the game were excellent."

On his goal: "It's a really good ball from Omari and I just gambled and it was a good finish and I just need to keep it up and see how many I can get.

"In training we spend a lot of time working on crossing and finishing, I'm a striker and I love kicking the ball in the back of the net. I spend forever on the training pitch shooting so when it comes to a game you're more used to it."

On Alex Palmer: "Incredible, I said to him one of them was the best saves I've ever seen live. He's incredible and he's a very good person as well so it's a real boost for us to have that quality now."

On staying in the Premier League: "We've got such belief and confidence and our standards are top tier, we really believe we can put in the performances to get the points."

On catching up in with Mohamed Salah for the golden boot: "He's quite far ahead, ain't he?! There's room for improvement and I just need to carry on."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Ipswich's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Leicester City v Arsenal (12:30)

• Aston Villa v Ipswich Town

• Fulham v Nottingham Forest

• Man City v Newcastle - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

• Southampton v Bournemouth

• West Ham v Brentford

• Crystal Palace v Everton (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live commentary

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna made 11 changes for their FA Cup tie against Coventry, so what does he do here to try to stop his side's four-game losing run in the league?

Last time the Tractor Boys were in the Midlands, they demolished the Sky Blues, but this is obviously a much tougher test.

Aston Villa also got through in the FA Cup, beating Tottenham, but they have gone three games without a win in the league - drawing with Arsenal and West Ham, and losing to Wolves.

All three of those results came after midweek matches, however, and not being in the Champions League play-off round this week is a big boost for Villa.

Unai Emery's side are short of centre-backs, with Ezri Konsa the latest to be injured when he was forced off against Spurs, but they do have new loan signing Axel Disasi to come into their defence.

I think Ipswich will score, but Villa are going to score more.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Manchester United are tracking 22-year-old Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Marcus Rashford "would be an addition to any team in the league", says Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna.

McKenna previously worked with Rashford during his time coaching at Manchester United and is anticipating facing the 27-year-old when Town travel to Villa Park on Saturday.

"We know what a threat he is," McKenna said. "I think football careers are tough, and especially when you start as young as Marcus did and you break in at at 18. If you play until your mid-thirties or beyond, then it's not all going to be smooth sailing. It very rarely is.

"It's always easy to look at the negative aspect and you could certainly flip that on the head and say that he's a young player, he's come through the academy, from Wythenshawe and played for his boyhood club. He's won trophies and broken records and done some incredible things.

"His life is football. Things don't always go in a in a smooth direction. He's still young enough and he's still talented enough, so I'm sure he'll be working hard to play again regularly and and hit really good form."

Following Jhon Duran's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Rashford will now provide competition for striker Ollie Watkins.

"They've got a really deep, high quality forward unit where they can make really impactful subs," McKenna added.

"You're going to face a really strong front four at the start of the game, and there's every chance you're going to face a really strong, different front four at the end of the game. We've had to be thorough in our preparation."

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Aston Villa (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• McKenna confirmed thatConor Chaplin remains unavailable, but Sammie Szmodics' ankle injury reoccurrence "has not been too serious" and that it will be a "judgement call" on Friday whether he will be fit.

• On the "few little setbacks" Chaplin has had with his MCL injury: "He had a slightly different course of treatment this week to see if that can accelerate it a little bit because he's not quite been over able to meet that last hurdle. A slightly different direction this week and fingers crossed he will be back with the group next week."

• On being able to rotate his squad for last week's FA Cup win at Coventry: "A good little confidence booster, even for people in the building, for some of the work that's going on, some of the improvements being made. It's hard to show it against Liverpool, against Manchester City, some of the toughest teams you have. With there being less games in the in the Premier League, it's hard to always get the validation of improvements being made in a group like ours."

• McKenna also said new goalkeeper Alex Palmer did "everything you would want" from a debutant and that it was "the perfect game to put him into": "There's a possibility [Palmer will start at Villa]. It gives us the type of options that we want. We'll pick what we think is right for each game".

• On the defeat by Southampton in their most recent Premier League game: "Everyone was really disappointed by the result, but the the reaction has been what it needed to be. We felt the hurt together, we analysed the things that we needed to do better and then we've got on with trying to improve - the players and the group with the new players. It was a good week last week and a good game in the cup, and now we look forward to a big challenge."

• On dealing with hostile atmospheres at grounds like Villa Park: "Over the course of the season, we've had experience of trying to manage that. Of course, we're not perfect, but we've learned some lessons and we'll need to use them on Saturday. On top of that, it's also important you go there with a bravery to go and play your game and try to impose yourself on and off the ball. Make sure that you can take the crowd away from the opponent at times."

Catch up on all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

The Premier League's bottom two Southampton and Ipswich using the highest number of players this season - 33 and 31 respectively - does not come as a surprise.

Both are newly-promoted sides with relatively limited budgets who began the campaign with managers that had never previously led teams in the division.

Saints suffered an identity crisis under Russell Martin who refused to his possession-based approach for the top flight before replacing him with Ivan Juric who is still attempting to find his favoured starting XI.

Ipswich have fought admirably in their first Premier League season but manager Kieran McKenna is learning on the job. Back in October, BBC Radio Suffolk's Graeme McLoughlin wrote he was "not sure McKenna knows his best line-up yet" and, although things have settled, the Town boss is still adapting from game to game.

When contrasted with high-flying Nottingham Forest - who have used 23 players, the lowest in the division- it is clear the impact a settled, consistent starting XI can make.

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Aston Villa have lost just one of their past 14 top-flight meetings with Ipswich (W10 D3), a 1-0 home defeat in March 1994.

Excluding own goals, 95% of Ipswich's 21 Premier League goals this season have been scored by British or Irish players, the highest proportion by a team in a campaign since Wolves in 2011-12 (98% - 39/40).

Seb Brown
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Four goals scored in an away win made Saturday feel like a return to familiar surroundings at Championship level for Ipswich, following a difficult season so far.

Last April, a 2-1 win at the CBS Arena, in the penultimate game of the season, saw Ipswich move to within a point of promotion. Saturday was never going to reach anywhere near those heights, but there was still much positivity to take away.

The match was a stark reminder at the differences in levels between the Championship and the Premier League. Ipswich did not have to get into top gear to win and while Coventry had moments, the game was a relatively comfortable victory.

The main reason for optimism, other than the four-goal haul, was the performance put in by Ipswich's reserve players against a strong Coventry side.

Premier League money has allowed Town to hoover up the outstanding talent from last year's Championship and players who have been thrown into a top-flight relegation battle were able to show their quality when performing back at a more familiar level.

The standout player at the weekend was Jack Clarke, a £15m summer signing from Sunderland after 15 goals and four assists last year.

Clarke has been involved in some sliding doors moments so far this season. There was a penalty overturned by VAR against Everton and a key moment when he hit a post in the dying moments at Craven Cottage, with the ball bouncing straight back into play and Fulham immediately scoring a late equaliser.

Clarke's clever feet and calm finishing saw him leave Coventry with two goals and an assist. His off-the-ball work was also excellent in a performance which will hopefully give him confidence after a difficult campaign so far.

Ipswich are into the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2007. With some big sides already out of the competition, could a cup run be on the cards?

Find more from Seb Brown at the Blue Monday Podcast, external

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Former player Paul Anderson highlighted Jack Clarke as Ipswich's key player in the 4-1 FA Cup win over Coventry City.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk, Anderson said: "As attacking players, goals are always that confidence builder, but forget about the goals. If he wouldn't have scored [against Coventry] he still would have been the difference between the teams.

"With his football intelligence and the positions he was picking up on the pitch, he caused real problems to the Coventry defence. When he got the ball he tended to make the right decision most of the time.

"With a performance like that, he would hope to have put his name on the team sheet against Aston Villa."

On fellow winger Jaden Philogene, Anderson added: "That goal maybe takes a bit of pressure off him. I would have liked to see a bit more from him but games don't always pan out that way. The ball didn't necessarily come to his side that much, it came to where Jack Clarke was a lot.

"He got his goal and everyone will feel great about that. Hopefully he can get a few more in the Premier League and win a few points."

Chelsea and Manchester United are interested in Ipswich striker Liam Delap. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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The draw for the FA Cup fifth round has been made. Here is a list of all the ties involving Premier League teams in the order they were drawn.

Games will be played over the first weekend of March.

• Aston Villa v Cardiff City

• Crystal Palace/Doncaster v Millwall

• Man Utd v Fulham

• Newcastle v Brighton

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Man City v Plymouth

• Exeter/Nottingham Forest v Ipswich

See the full draw