Ipswich 1 Wolves 2 - Report
A starring substitute display from Pablo Sarabia saw him score and assist as Wolves came from behind to win their crunch relegation scrap with Ipswich 2-1.
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The hosts started brightly and took the lead through Liam Delap as Wolves struggled with the atmosphere and occasion.
But the visitors started the second half well and dominated the ball, before snatching an equaliser with Sarabia’s left-footed strike.
The Spaniard then put the ball on a plate for Jorgen Strand Larsen to knock home an 84th minute winner and move Wolves a huge step closer to securing Premier League safety.
Analysis
Vitor Pereira named an unchanged starting XI for the fourth consecutive Premier League game.
Pedro Lima and Boubacar Traore missed out on the squad, while Rodrigo Gomes and Goncalo Guedes were deemed fit enough for the bench.
Ipswich also named an unchanged side following their midweek win over Bournemouth.
The hosts - buoyed by a loud crowd - started well at Portman Road and put Wolves under some early pressure.
But the first chance fell to the visitors after a strong Joao Gomes run. He fed Rayan Ait-Nouri, who cut the ball back to Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, and his curled effort was just wide.
Bellegarde then played Larsen in, but he had his shot saved by Alex Palmer, before Toti Gomes came close from the resulting corner.
Ipswich then took the lead in the 16th minute with an avoidable goal from a Wolves perspective.
Axel Tuanzebe crossed and Ait-Nouri had a nightmare as he was beaten in the air by Dara O’Shea, and the ball landed for Delap to finish ahead of goalkeeper Jose Sa.
It was briefly checked by VAR for offside but the goal stood.
Wolves almost responded immediately from a corner, but Toti Gomes could not make connection with the ball from close distance.
Wolves had a huge chance to equalise before half-time when Palmer allowed a back pass to go under his foot and the goalkeeper was forced to dive and save it off the line with his hand. Wolves were awarded an indirect free-kick, which was tapped to Emmanuel Agbadou to smash, but former Wolves academy player Sam Morsy made a big block.
Palmer was not booked for handling the ball, but was booked for encroachment before the free-kick was taken, leaving Wolves feeling aggrieved that the goalkeeper was not given two yellow cards and sent off.
Wolves then entered the half-time break losing 1-0.
The visitors started the second half much better than the first and came close when J.Gomes took aim and smashed the post.
Matt Doherty then had a sight of goal but fired wide, when he could have lashed the ball across the goalkeeper.
Wolves should have scored when, after a scramble in the box, the ball fell to Ait-Nouri from six yards, but he lashed it wide on the volley.
The visitors finally made their pressure count in the 72nd minute when Sarabia’s second goal of the season dragged them level.
Larsen did brilliantly to bring the ball down in the box and chip it into Sarabia’s path. His original pass for R.Gomes popped back into his path and his left-footed strike found the bottom corner.
Moments later, Larsen headed just over from an R.Gomes cross.
Ipswich made four changes in the 81st minute in an effort to get back into the contest, with Wolves still on top but the score locked at 1-1.
However, in the 84th minute, Wolves found their winning goal. A beautiful pass from Sarabia on the right allowed Larsen to knock the ball into the far corner and send the travelling fans wild.
A VAR check for offside also did not overturn the decision.
Pereira’s side hung on during seven minutes of added time to take a vital three points back to the Black Country - and take them 12 points clear of the relegation zone.
Key Moments
GOAL 16 Delap fires Ipswich ahead
GOAL 72 Sarabia finds the bottom corner to equalise for Wolves
GOAL 84 Larsen won it for Wolves with a smart finish
Teams
Wolves: Sa, Semedo, Doherty (R.Gomes, 65), Agbadou, Toti, Ait-Nouri (Bueno, 88), Andre, J.Gomes, Munetsi, Bellegarde (Sarabia, 65), Larsen (Djiga, 96).
Subs not used: Johnstone, Doyle, Forbs, Guedes, Hwang.
Ipswich: Palmer, Tuanzebe (Davis, 81), O’Shea, Burgess, Townsend (Philogene, 81), Morsy, Cajuste (Chaplin, 81), Johnson, Enciso, Broadhead (Taylor, 64), Delap (Hirst, 81).
Subs not used: Walton, Woolfenden, Phillips, Clarke.
