Ipswich 3-2 Wolves: Championship high-flyers fight back from 2-0 down after 15 minutes to dump Premier League side out of Carabao Cup… with Jack Taylor netting second-half winner
- Wolves raced into 2-0 lead with goals by Hwang Hee-chan and Toti Gomes
- But Omari Hutchinson and Freddie Ladapo drew Ipswich level by half-time
- Midfielder Jack Taylor completed the comeback with stunning 30-yard strike
With 23 goals in the previous five games at Portman Road this season, this was never going to be a dull affair.
Ipswich Town’s priorities may lie elsewhere but success breeds success and this was a comeback that epitomised the quality and fight that Kieran McKenna’s side possess as the Tractor Boys booked their place in the last 16 of the EFL Cup for the first time since 2010.
‘Premier League, you’re having a laugh’ chanted the Ipswich fans as they came back from two goals down in a thrilling encounter against Premier League opposition to carry on their terrific run of form.
With seven wins out of eight in the Championship, they have every reason to believe and here was a display that showed why there is so much belief in these parts.
For the opening quarter of an hour, Ipswich were given a reminder of the quality of the top-flight as an out-of-form Wolves outfit raced into a two-goal lead thanks to Hwang Hee-chan and Toti.
Ipswich midfielder Jack Taylor completed the comeback with a stunning 30-yard strike
Ipswich forward Omari Hutchinson pulled a goal back in the 28th minute against Wolves
Ipswich forward Freddie Ladapo levelled just before half-time against Wolves
But in the space of eleven first-half minutes, McKenna’s side restored parity with goals from Omari Hutchinson and Freddie Ladapo before a stunning second-half strike from Jack Taylor pulled off a stunning comeback in front of a strong midweek crowd of over 20,000.
Both McKenna and Gary O’Neil made ten changes each with only Ipswich keeper Vaclav Hladky and Wolves’s Hee-chan retaining their places.
And it was Hee-chan who broke the deadlock just four minutes in, with a solid left-footed finish past Hladky.
Ten minutes later, Toti smashed home the rebound after Hladky could only parry the ball from Santiago Bueno’s header and Wolves looked to be making light work of what had looked a tough assignment on paper.
But under McKenna, this is a side that does not lack belief.
Omari Hutchinson pulled one back with a cool finish past Dan Bentley after he was put through by Marcus Harness, before Hutchinson’s bending free-kick was superly tipped over by Bentley. But the Wolves goalkeeper would have been disappointed to let in Freddie Ladapo’s equaliser before half-time with the midfielder spinning and finishing after receiving the ball from Harness.
And when Jack Taylor’s superb strike from almost 30 yards out flew past Bentley and into the net, the comeback was complete. For Harness, it was a hat-trick of assists as Ipswich held on for their first win against Premier League opposition since 2011. Their remarkable resurgence under McKenna goes on.
Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring in the fourth minute at Ipswich
Wolves centre back Toti Gomes doubled their lead in the 15th minute on Tuesday night
MATCH FACTS
IPSWICH (4-2-3-1): Hladky 6; Ball 6, Edmundson 6, Baggott 6, Williams 6; Taylor 8 (Luongo 82), Evans 7; Harness 7 (Aluko 70, 5), Hutchinson 7 (Humphreys 70, 5), Ladapo 7 (Hirst 70, 5); Jackson 7 (Burns 82).
Subs unused: Slicker, Woolfenden, Chaplin, Donacien.
Goals: Hutchinson 28, Ladapo 39, Taylor 58
Bookings: Evans, Baggott
Manager: Kieran McKenna 7
WOLVES (3-4-3): Bentley 5; Otto 5, Bueno 5, Toti 6; Doherty 6, Traore 6, Doyle 6 (Gomes 73, 5), Bueno 5 (Ait-Nouri 45, 5); Hee-chan 7 (Silva 69, 5), Sarabia 6 (Cunha 61, 5), Kalajdzic 6 (Fraser 61).
Subs unused: King, Kilman, Gonzalez, Hodge
Goals: Hee-chan 4, Toti 15
Bookings: Traore, Hee-chan, Cunha
Manager: Gary O’Neil 6
Referee: Sam Barrott 6
Attendance: 20,236
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