If Ipswich could have been forgiven for having next season’s Championship already in mind, Bournemouth are plunging their own depths of disappointment. Winless since mid-February, Cherry-flavoured European dreams fade fast, defeat to the strugglers following exit from the FA Cup. Still nine points shy of safety, Kieran McKenna’s team’s chances remain remote. The only certainty appears that Liam Delap, scorer of a rampaging second goal, will be playing Premier League football next season but, with eight games to play, after a first Premier League win in 2025, their small chance is far better than no chance at all.
Ipswich, without a game since 15 March, have seen survival hopes crumble while they could only watch in impotent pessimism. The revivals of Everton, West Ham and most obviously Wolves have trampled on any seeds of a comeback; Wolves’ defeat of the Hammers on Tuesday was another dagger to hearts. Autumnal expectations have been crushed by a scolding winter, and some harsh lessons learned. Back in December, Ipswich took the game to Bournemouth only to be denied at the last. Here they set up with far greater pragmatism. Six changes from a 4-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest suggested McKenna had done plenty of thinking.
On the sidelines, Andoni Iraola and McKenna, both dressed in black sweater and charcoal chinos, were exhorting teams slipping from where they want to be. Bournemouth dominated early proceedings, Delap often a solitary figure as target man, but the snap and swing of the home team’s best football was lacking.
Dango Ouatarra, who seconds earlier had been asking his teammates to lift the tempo, curled Bournemouth’s first real shot round the post. The Burkinabé winger has been restored to the flanks after previous sterling service as an ersatz striker. He next turned playmaker for his replacement there, Evanilson, sending the Brazilian through for a shot deflected past Alex Palmer. Ipswich’s own No 9, Julio Enciso, playing off Delap, had seconds earlier had his team’s best sight of goal only for space to be closed down.
A warning? After Bournemouth’s gliding Alex Scott twice went close, Enciso set off on a solo run and, having drawn defenders out, played in Nathan Broadhead, whose finish was ice cool for someone scoring a first ever Premier League goal.
The return of Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen, fatefully suspended in the FA Cup, had not locked Bournemouth’s defence down. At half-time, Iraola threw on Tyler Adams. Adam Smith, club captain and League One survivor, starting for the first time since December, had lasted just 45 minutes. Lewis Cook, as has become habitual, slotted in at right-back.
More injuries: Justin Kluivert, top scorer, was missing, and as Bournemouth piled on second-half pressure, they scratched around for a cutting edge. Ouatarra’s blasting the ball high into the Steve Fletcher Stand reflected a sore lack of ideas.
Delap’s goal, made via a typical piece of powering down the channels and an exchange with the overlapping Conor Townsend, showed how it was done. Bournemouth believed they had found a swift way back, only for Axel Tuanzebe’s foul on Antoine Semenyo to be ruled outside the box. Their wait was not long; Evanilson slotted in after Palmer could only palm Cook’s shot into the striker’s path.
Facing 23 minutes to survive, Ipswich entered territory all too familiar, too often surrendered. Bournemouth, too, were facing their own demons. A season where their football has received near-global acclaim is slipping away. Delap departed, unable to give any more, George Hirst running those same channels, Kalvin Phillips also on as sub to shield a defensive shell as loud away fans cheered every tackle and block.
