EPL: Chelsea's European Hopes Hit as Ipswich Holds Them to Draw
Chelsea's five-game winning streak at Stamford Bridge ends in a 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town, potentially hurting their UEFA Champions League qualification chances.
Chelsea's five-game winning streak at Stamford Bridge came to an end as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Ipswich Town. The result could prove costly in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification, giving Chelsea's rivals a boost. Despite dominating early proceedings, Chelsea struggled to find the breakthrough, with Nicolas Jackson hitting the post and Noni Madueke looking particularly threatening.
Ipswich took the lead in a surprise turn of events when Ben Johnson set up Julio Enciso, who scored with a beautiful finish into the bottom corner. The Tractor Boys doubled their lead just before halftime, with Johnson and Enciso combining again, this time resulting in Johnson heading the ball into the far corner. The first half proved damaging for Chelsea, who failed to capitalize on their chances despite enjoying the majority of possession.
Chelsea responded promptly in the second half, with Axel Tuanzebe diverting Noni Madueke's cross into his own net to halve the deficit. Despite Ipswich still posing a threat, Chelsea's quality eventually paid off. Pedro Neto's effort was well saved by Alex Palmer, and Enciso threatened to score again, but Robert Sánchez was equal to the task.
Jadon Sancho ended a run of 16 matches without a goal in sensational style 💫
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 13, 2025
He was also only on the pitch for 11 minutes before scoring @ChelseaFC's equaliser! #CHEIPS pic.twitter.com/ErR4pt1ADo
The turning point came when substitute Jadon Sancho netted a brilliant equalizer, curling the ball beautifully into the far corner from outside the area after Cole Palmer played a short corner to him. The equalizer rescued a point for Chelsea, who climbed into the UCL places in fifth. Despite the draw, Chelsea will feel like they dropped two points at home to a relegation-bound team. Ipswich, meanwhile, can take encouragement from their performance but remains 14 points from safety with 18 left to play for, missing out on a historic league double over Chelsea.
Jadon Sancho 💫
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 13, 2025
pic.twitter.com/8kUvi9gyZK
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