Ipswich held by Norwich in derby thriller
Ipswich entered this heated match-up in fantastic spirits, with their 2-1 victory over Watford in midweek seeing them become the joint-quickest Championship team to break the 50-point barrier in a single campaign.
Norwich, meanwhile, trailed their local rivals by 21 points prior to kick-off, but the Canaries could lean on their 12-match unbeaten run in this H2H for inspiration.
The fixture was strongly contested early on, with neither side really threatening. That changed shortly before the 20-minute mark, however, when Ipswich began to show why they are flying so high this term.
Nathan Broadhead was the first to go close, firing narrowly wide from inside the area before Leif Davis’ first-time attempt was kept out by Angus Gunn.
Broadhead then had another opportunity, directing his attempt beyond the post, before finally breaking the deadlock shortly after the half-hour mark. Following some pinball in the area, the ball fell to the Wales international six yards from goal, and he buried it with aplomb.
Norwich, though, were in no mood to lie down on such an occasion, and they were back on level terms before the interval.
Jonathan Rowe - who scored last time out - struck his ninth of the league season with a delicate, volleyed toe-poke after misjudging a bicycle kick attempt. And, in the 49th minute, the visitors were in front, as Rowe reached double figures for the term with a low drive that deflected off Davis and through Václav Hladký’s legs.
Ipswich are the second tier’s most prolific goalscorers this campaign, while only Rotherham Town have conceded on more occasions than David Wagner’s men. Therefore, it came as little surprise to see the Tractor Boys find the back of the net once more, with Wes Burns finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
As Kieran McKenna’s outfit went in search of a winner, Cameron Burgess headed over and Conor Chaplin swung a free-kick past the post, but it wasn’t enough to clinch all three points.
Although they couldn’t quite prevail, it was still a positive showing from McKenna’s side, and they are now 11 points clear of Leeds United in third, albeit having played a game more - they remain well-placed to win promotion to the Premier League.
Norwich, meanwhile, have lost just one of their previous seven fixtures, and with just two points separating themselves and the play-off positions, we could still see two representatives from this part of the country amongst the elite next season.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nathan Broadhead (Ipswich Town)
