Ipswich Heartbreak: Bournemouth’s Stunning Late Comeback Secures Victory

Ipswich Town endured late despair in the Premier League, as they were robbed of a first elite-level home victory in 22 years by an extraordinary Bournemouth resurgence, with the Cherries netting twice beyond the 87th minute to secure an astonishing 2-1 triumph.

A lively start saw Sammie Szmodics cautioned for a forceful tackle on Adam Smith, and with the Portman Road supporters in full voice after a much-needed boost, Jack Taylor came close to an opener with a header narrowly over the crossbar. The relief was short-lived for Bournemouth though, and the Tractor Boys seized control barely two minutes later, as Cameron Burgess set up Conor Chaplin on the edge of the area, enabling him to fire in and give Ipswich aspirations of finally ending their lengthy wait for a home triumph.

It wasn’t long after Ipswich’s breakthrough that VAR took center stage with two crucial rulings. Firstly, Cameron Burgess believed he had turned scorer when heading in a corner at the far post, but a VAR review determined that Liam Delap had unfairly obstructed Kepa Arrizabalaga in the lead-up, resulting in the goal being ruled out. Bournemouth swiftly countered at the opposite end, and Justin Kluivert appeared to have been tripped in the area, prompting another nerve-racking review. However, Michael Salisbury upheld his initial call.

Bournemouth had several opportunities in the first half’s closing moments, but they were relatively subdued compared to what had come earlier. Similarly, the opening phases of the second half were uneventful, though Lewis Cook unleashed a long-range attempt that sailed just over the bar. With no equalizer forthcoming, Andoni Iraola made tactical adjustments after the hour, introducing Enes Ünal and Dango Ouattara to inject energy into the Cherries’ attack and capitalize on their increasing dominance.

Nonetheless, Szmodics nearly secured the result for Ipswich with just over 20 minutes of regular time left. He collected a sharp pass deep inside the area from Delap and found himself facing Arrizabalaga one-on-one, but came out second-best as he directed his shot goalward, with the Spaniard denying him at close range. These misses proved pivotal, as Iraola’s side mounted an incredible resurgence to reverse the game’s trajectory. Their persistence paid off on 87 minutes when a counterattack down the left saw Ouattara compel Arijanet Muric to charge out of goal, allowing him to cross into the box where Ünal was ready to bundle it in at the far post.

And as if that drama wasn’t enough, Ouattara turned finisher deep into injury time, as some clever passing dismantled the Ipswich defense and enabled him to strike from mere inches away at the near post. Over two decades of waiting for a Premier League home win will continue for Ipswich, who remain four points short of safety.