Ipswich Town 1-1 Southampton, EFL Championship: Promotion Contenders Play Out Compelling Stalemate

Sunday's early Championship clash between relegated pair Ipswich Town and Southampton ended in a 1-1 draw at Portman Road.

Two first-half goals were the game’s only offerings, as an own goal from Taylor Harwood-Bellis just three minutes in stunned the visitors, before a well-timed Ryan Fraser cross found the head of 18-year-old Jay Robinson just shy of the half-an-hour mark, allowing the Saints to draw level.

In a game of few clear-cut chances, Ipswich striker George Hirst could only find Gavin Bazunu’s outstretched leg following a mazy run.

A brief injury scare to Ipswich’s Sam Szmodics momentarily paused the action, but he shook off that knock to continue. 

The second half threw up more of the same, with little to separate the two early-season promotion contenders as the game progressed into a midfield tug-of-war.

The best chance after the restart fell to the hosts, when Szmodics struck the woodwork with a powerful left-footed shot from the left side of the box, but luck was not on Ipswich's side.

With both teams consolidating defensively, the likes of Robinson, Conor Chaplin and Joshua Quarshie were limited to half-chances.

In the end, a draw was a fair reflection of an attritional albeit entertaining contest, leaving Ipswich 16th on two points and Southampton eighth on four.

Data Debrief: Attackers misfire in early-season draw

Ipswich registered 1.43 expected goals (xG) and Southampton tallied 0.84, with the teams firing off a combined 25 shots but only hitting the target four times between them.

Robinson netted his first professional goal for Southampton, having failed to score when registering 1.1 xG against Wrexham on matchday one, the highest figure in the league.

The teenager recorded the joint-most shots on goal in Sunday's game (three), with Szmodics and Hirst also trying their luck with the same number. 

Having drawn 1-1 with Birmingham City in their season opener, this is only the second time since 2009-10 that Ipswich have failed to win their first two Championship matches, with the last occurrence coming in 2018-19, when they were relegated to the third tier.