Ipswich’s hopes of Premier League survival were effectively shattered as Nottingham Forest secured a dominant 4-2 victory at Portman Road, with three goals in a ruthless seven-minute spell leaving their hosts an almost insurmountable 10 points from safety.
The timing of Ipswich’s first-half collapse couldn’t have been worse. As Wolves were expected to beat basement club Southampton in their own match, Ipswich’s failure to respond saw the gap to safety extend to nine points, compounded by an inferior goal difference of 16. Despite starting the game competitively, Ipswich were undone by a series of defensive lapses, most notably when they conceded the opening goal after initially clearing a corner. Callum Hudson-Odoi swung the ball to Nicolas Dominguez at the far post, whose knock-down for Nikola Milenkovic was clinically finished by the towering defender—marking just the second shot on target of the game.
Then, in a devastating two minutes and 16 seconds, Forest delivered a knockout blow. Leif Davis was caught out of position, allowing Anthony Elanga to race forward and curl a stunning shot past Ipswich goalkeeper Matz Sels. Within moments, Forest were 2-0 up, and their dominance only continued. A long ball that Ipswich failed to clear allowed Elanga to slide in a second goal, putting the visitors firmly in control by halftime, with Ipswich still reeling from the quick-fire onslaught.
Although Ipswich showed more fight after the break, they struggled to break down a Forest side that was resolute in defense, even switching to a back five to protect their lead. Ipswich’s efforts were rewarded late on when Jens Cajuste unleashed a fine strike to give them a glimmer of hope, with Sels unable to stop the well-placed effort. But any hopes of a dramatic comeback were extinguished when Forest responded with a goal of their own. Jota Silva made it 4-1, tapping in from a superb pass by Morgan Gibbs-White. Ipswich did manage a second goal in injury time when George Hirst headed in from poor Forest defending, but it was too little, too late.
Despite the late goal, the result was never in doubt, and Forest’s victory sees them move just a point behind Arsenal, who face Chelsea on Super Sunday. For Ipswich, the defeat leaves them facing an uphill battle to achieve one of the Premier League’s most remarkable escapes from relegation.
