🔗 Share this article

Sixteen years of hurt have at long last been laid to rest for Ipswich Town. A curse that had lingered for longer than many abandoned burial grounds was broken in decisive fashion as East Anglian rivals the visitors were defeated 3-1 and generally outplayed in the home side’s first triumph in fifteen derby matches.

Decisive Goals and Key Displays

Goals from Cédric Kipré – the man of the match – the mercurial Philogene and Clarke were the key turning points of the contest, with Norwich’s risky offensive play another factor. But the presence of Núñez, who found the net against Ipswich for Norwich in the previous derby two years ago then finalized a multi-million pound transfer to Suffolk in the summer, was felt throughout. Appearing on the cover of the programme and in the voices of the home fans, even as he started the game on the substitutes' bench, this was a transfer troll that ultimately delivered the intended outcome.

Game Overview and Critical Moments

After a peppy atmosphere in and around the ground before the kickoff, the first thirty minutes was as disjointed as yesterday's news. But the hosts took the lead in the 32nd minute with a cleverly executed dead-ball situation. The cross came from Philogene: a looping cross that found Dara O’Shea at the far post. O’Shea headed the ball down to the center of the box and, after something of a scramble, it came to Cédric Kipré who controlled it and crashed the ball into the goal.

This was what the Ipswich supporters had been waiting for and Ipswich looked in a strong position to push forward, but the visitors fought their way back into the match. A number of lost possessions by the away side ended with one reaching Crnac who sprinted behind Leif Davis to win a set-piece. Fisher's cross was aimed at Darling at the back post, but was headed out to Oscar Schwartau who fired a driven effort directly at the target and, via a minor deflection, past a helpless Palmer.

The Canaries were elated and the home supporters became a somewhat restless. This was a story they had witnessed many times before, while the Ipswich's performance was amplifying concerns over a scratchy beginning to the campaign following relegation. But one consistent factor during the opening rounds has been the prolific streak of Jaden Philogene, and he was about to score again.

Jaden's Stunning Strike

Norwich were passing neatly in the midfield with the time having just ticked to 45 minutes when Oscar's fellow Dane, the engine-room player Pelle Mattsson, inexplicably let the ball pass between his feet and through to a waiting Philogene. From there Philogene acted quickly. He ran straight on goal and, after two touches, unleashed a powerful shot from 25 yards that clipped the top of Vladan Kovacevic’s fingers but flew into the upper net of the goal. His reaction – a na-na-na-na-na with his fingers in his ears – may need refinement.

Second Half Action

At half-time the club icon Magilton came on to the field to encourage the supporters to keep believing, and pledged that Norwich’s advanced backline would create more chances. Soon enough he was vindicated. The home side were increasingly able to send runners into the space left open by their rivals' pushing defenders. George Hirst ought to have netted from a similar chance three minutes after the restart, but fluffed his shot when facing with Kovacevic. Given with a mirror image of an opportunity on the hour the forward chose not to shoot at all and crossed the ball into empty space.

Marcelino's Impact and Clarke’s Clincher

With a quarter-hour to go each side made a series of substitutions but all eyes were on one specific individual. Núñez came on to the field to a round of loud singing and soon after he had made the decisive contribution the storyline had forewarned. Norwich were attempting to hustle into some attacking activity, but a forward burst from Darling ended in a poor touch and Jens Cajuste stole the defender before rolling the ball immediately to Núñez. Núñez needed just an instant to assess the play and spun a ball behind that defensive line into his fellow substitute Iván Azón on the left flank. His driven shot went past Kovacevic and on to a upright, but Jack Clarke (another sub) was on hand to turn the loose ball home coolly.

Final Moments and Reactions

The final quarter-hour were a dominant spell for the visitors but there was no more damage to be suffered. Not during active play. At the final whistle, as the stadium erupted, Núñez was afforded his own victory lap of the stadium, followed by the cameras. Holding the team banner and displaying a banner of a tweet from a Norwich influencer calling for a memorial at Carrow Road, the midfielder appeared to be having the moment of his career.