Chelsea began the match outside the top five and were looking to strengthen their push for a Champions League spot. However, a 2-2 draw at home to Ipswich Town in the Premier League meant they couldn’t fully capitalize. Although the point lifted them to fifth on goal difference ahead of Aston Villa, Newcastle, who have two games in hand, can overtake the Blues with just a win from their remaining fixtures.
Chelsea started the match with plenty of possession. However, against the run of play, Ben Johnson combined with Julio Enciso to open the scoring for Ipswich. The defensive structure of Chelsea was poor on that occasion. While the home side looked to respond, Ipswich struck again, this time a delivery from Enciso found Johnson in the box for a second goal, once again exposing Chelsea’s vulnerabilities at the back.
The Blues began the second half with renewed purpose. Within seconds of the restart, they pulled a goal back via an Axel Tuanzebe own goal, following positive work from Noni Madueke and Marc Cucurella. Despite sustained pressure, the equalizer took time to arrive. During that period, Ipswich continued to create problems going forward.
Eventually, with 10 minutes left in regulation time, substitute Jadon Sancho found the net with a superb curling effort from just inside the edge of the box. Chelsea pushed for a winner, but Ipswich goalkeeper Alex Palmer produced several key saves to ensure the points were shared.