Ipswich Town stuns Fulham with two late goals to win 2-1

There were just three minutes left when Dara O'Shea rose to head home a Jack Clarke cross, sending Portman Road into raptures over a comeback that had looked next to impossible. Ipswich Town beat Fulham 2-1 in a Premier League clash the visitors had all but wrapped up until the closing stretch.

Fulham had taken the lead in the 54th minute through a left-footed strike from Ryan Sessegnon from outside the box, which found the right side of the net following a corner kick. The goal came after a first half that stayed level on the scoreboard but was far from quiet: Sessegnon himself and Gonzalo García had both had clear chances, while Sander Berge and Shea Charles also tried their luck from distance without success.

The 1-0 lead looked like it might be enough for Fulham, who even came close to doubling their advantage through efforts from Oscar Bobb and Gonzalo García after the break. But Ipswich Town refused to give in. In the 87th minute, Abdoul Ouattara struck a low left-footed effort from outside the area that snuck in by the left post to level the score. Then, deep into stoppage time, with five minutes signaled by the fourth official, came the play that decided it all: O'Shea, heading in from point-blank range, made it 2-1 off a cross from Clarke, who had come on from the bench just minutes earlier.

What the numbers say

Fulham controlled possession and created more chances across the 90 minutes, and the stats back that up clearly.

Our expected goals estimate based on the match's shots backs up that impression too: Fulham generated 1.76 against Ipswich Town's 1.41. In other words, based on the chances created, the visitors had more than enough to walk away with all three points, but their finishing in the final minutes ended up tipping the scales the other way.

That gap also shows up when compared to our pre-match projection, which gave Fulham a 45% chance of winning, against 27% for Ipswich Town and 28% for a draw, with expected goals of 1.61 for the visitors and 1.20 for the home side. The final result went against that projection: the team given fewer chances on paper ended up taking the win thanks to two late goal bursts.

What it means in the standings

Coming into the match, Ipswich Town had three wins and three losses from six games played, while Fulham had two draws and four losses, still without a win. This victory puts Ipswich Town on 9 points in ninth place, while Fulham sits at the bottom of the table with just 2 points. The gap between the two sides now stands at 7 points.

For Fulham, managed by Álvaro Arbeloa, it's a tough blow: they controlled much of the match, took the lead, and let it slip in the final minutes. For Gary O'Neil's Ipswich Town, on the other hand, the outcome confirms something that was already becoming clear in the closing stages: they didn't drop their heads while behind on the scoreboard, and that persistence paid off with two late goals that completely flipped the story of the match.