Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town held on against Aston Villa for a point in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park despite playing the majority of the match one man down.
Unai Emery's side are now without a win in the Premier League for a full month, and now risk falling further behind the top four in the race for Champions League football next season.
The Villans had the better of the first half but were only able to produce one shot on target during what was an uneventful 45, though they did go into the break with a man advantage after the Tractor Boys' Axel Tuanzebe was shown a second yellow with 40 minutes on the clock.
In a shock start to the second period, Liam Delap broke the deadlock with a classy finish after some fine work from Omari Hutchinson out wide, giving McKenna's 10 men a lead to protect.
The hosts made a number of high profile substitutions in the second half and Marcus Rashford made his league debut for Villa when he was substituted on for Jacob Ramsey at half time, but it was the ever-reliable Ollie Watkins that levelled the game for Emery's side with just over 20 minutes to play.
That being said, Villa will rue a number of missed chances throughout the match from the likes of Morgan Rogers and Marco Asensio, and will certainly see this result as two points dropped rather than one gained, even though they had to come from behind to avoid defeat.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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Villa may have enjoyed success in the Champions League and FA Cup in recent weeks, but by the time it came to face Ipswich in the Premier League on Saturday they had been without a top-flight win for a full calendar month and found themselves four points outside of the top four.
Now, having dropped two points further behind, their dream of playing in Europe's premier club competition next season seems to be slipping out of their grasp.
That being said, the Villans have lost just one league clash on their own turf this campaign, and it is commendable that they managed to extend their unbeaten streak at Villa Park to 12 matches after they survived a scare early in the second half.
As for Ipswich, McKenna will be disappointed to have lost Tuanzebe to suspension and Julio Enciso to injury, but he will also be proud of his team's resilience to hold out for such a long time with a man disadvantage.
Saturday's visitors remain in the relegation zone, but they are now only two points behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Premier League survival is not out of reach just yet.
ASTON VILLA VS. IPSWICH TOWN HIGHLIGHTS
40th min: Axel Tuanzebe (Ipswich Town) red card
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56th min: Aston Villa 0-1 Ipswich Town (Liam Delap)
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Omari Hutchinson receives a long diagonal on the right wing, dribbles past Villa's substitute left-back Ian Maatsen and fires a quality cross into the box where Liam Delap deftly tucks the ball into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the six-yard box.
The Tractor Boys have an unlikely lead!
69th min: Aston Villa 1-1 Ipswich Town (Ollie Watkins)
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Substitute Marcus Rashford's well-struck free kick from 25 yards out hits the crossbar and Watkins is quickest to react in the box, where he slots the ball into an empty net from close range to level the score.
MAN OF THE MATCH - ALEX PALMER
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Ipswich held on to take an important point away from Villa Park, and with 10 men, their goalkeeper was crucial in helping them avoid another defeat.
The stopper made an impressive six saves on Saturday, and even though he conceded an equaliser, there was little he could do to stop Watkins from reacting to a rebound off the crossbar.
ASTON VILLA VS. IPSWICH TOWN MATCH STATS
Possession: Aston Villa 76%-24% Ipswich Town
Shots: Aston Villa 25-4 Ipswich Town
Shots on target: Aston Villa 6-3 Ipswich Town
Corners: Aston Villa 16-1 Ipswich Town
Fouls: Aston Villa 7-11 Ipswich Town
BEST STATS
Ollie Watkins has now scored 70 Premier League goals for Aston Villa:
— Squawka (@Squawka) February 15, 2025
◉ 40x right-foot
◉ 15x left-foot
◉ 15x head
Triple threat. 📐 pic.twitter.com/1LtquCZTjA
38 - Ollie Watkins' equaliser against Ipswich was his 38th Premier League goal at Villa Park, now the outright top scorer at home in the competition for Aston Villa. Hero. #AVLIPS pic.twitter.com/YpbI9VUmzx
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 15, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Next up for Aston Villa is a clash against league leaders Liverpool at Villa Park, and given that they were unable to make the most of their man advantage against one of the league's relegation candidates, fans may be anxious.
As for Ipswich, they are set to host struggling Tottenham Hotspur, and will be desperate to put more points on the board after holding on for a draw on Saturday.
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