Coming into the weekend. Chelsea were riding high from a dominant performance in the UEFA Conference League and a convincing victory over Legia Warsaw. Hopes were high that the Blues would be able to get revenge over Ipswich Town for the 2-0 defeat at Portman Road in December and there was optimism at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Maresca named a heavily rotated squad from the win over Legia and this was perhaps as close to a full strength XI for Chelsea that you can get without Reece James who played on Thursday night. Nicolas Jackson was back in the squad as were the midfield duo of Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez who were rested on Thursday.
The match started off as expected for Chelsea who dominated possession and kept the action in the Ipswich half. Jackson hit the post for the best chance of the half but Ipswich were lurking and ready to strike on the counter.
They did just that in the 19th minute as a lighting quick counterattack was finished by Julio Enciso between Tosin and Levi Colwill. It was poor marking from the Chelsea centerbacks who let Enciso find space between them and slot home past Sanchez.
The Blues fought back but were pegged back once again on the counter as Enciso dinked a cross to the far post and Ben Johnson headed home over a hapless Marc Cucurella. It felt like a repeat of the reverse fixture as Chelsea were shell-shocked by the Ipswich counterattacks.
After halftime the Blues fought back and were rewarded immediately as Noni Madueke sent in a driven cross that ended up in the back of the Ipswich net after a collision between Cucurella and Axel Tuanzebe. The goal was credited to Tuanzebe and it was game on at Stamford Bridge.
The Chelsea pressure was relentless and Ipswich held firm until a moment of magic from substitute Jadon Sancho. The English winger found a yard of space at the top of the box and let fly with a stunner that found the top corner. Suddenly things were level and Chelsea kept the pressure up.
The Blues had a few other chances but keeper Alex Palmer was up to the task with some brilliant saves to keep things level. There were 6 additional minutes but the Blues couldn’t find the breakthrough to secure all three points before the final whistle.
In the end the honors were even and it was a disappointing end but the fight we saw from Chelsea is encouraging after a tough start. This performance won’t be enough against the better sides Chelsea will be facing but they are back in the Champions League places, just ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference.
Next up for Chelsea is the return leg against Legia and a matchup with Fulham on the weekend that is another chance to secure a vital 3 points. The fellow London side are no pushovers so we know it will be tough and they are playing for a European place as well.
Strap in Blues fans, were in for a rough landing to the end of the season!