Brave Tigers take play-off battle to final day after sharing spoils in six-goal thriller
FIGHTING ON: Skipper Jacob Greaves celebrates Liam Delap’s equalizer. Pictures courtesy of Hull City
Hull City 3 - 3 Ipswich Town
Sky Bet Championship
MKM Stadium
Attendance: 24,298
By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City Correspondent
The Tigers saved the best ‘til last with this six-goal thriller, picking up a point that ensures their play-off charge is, somehow, still alive and set to go to down to the last day.
Sky TV struck gold with this absolute belter of a match – it was packed with twists and turns, and some top-drawer goals.
Ipswich needed a win to leapfrog Leeds, while City needed at least a point to keep themselves in the chase. The Tigers went into the late kick-off knowing they had a big chance to capitalise on earlier results, after Norwich could only draw with Swansea and West Brom were thumped by Sheffield Wednesday.
The pre-match atmosphere was about the best it had been all season, with just over 24,000 fans ramping up the noise as the Tigers, clad in their all-amber strip (Liam Rosenior said afterwards that he wanted a “bright and vibrant” performance to match the kit) ran out for the last time at home – in the league, anyway – this season.
It was a fairly even opening, although there was a half-chance for Ipswich in the third minute when the break looked to be on, but the cross was poor and Ryan Allsop collected easily.
Ozan Tufan was nearly in a few minutes later, but after that it would be Ipswich who would enjoy a few minutes of sustained pressure, winning the first corner in the eighth minute. Moments later, Allsop batted away a shot from Sam Morsy.
In the 19th minute, the pressure from the Tractor Boys paid off. Wes Burns was pushed all the way to the byline by Jean Michael Seri, but he couldn’t prevent him cutting it back into the area. The ball appeared to take a deflection off Tyler Morton, who swung and missed, before it fell perfectly at the feet of George Hirst near the penalty spot – and he made no mistake in smashing it past Allsop into the bottom right-hand corner.
The sold-out contingent of Ipswich fans in the North East corner exploded. The home fans took a moment to gather themselves before they roared City on. There would be no tense silence this time. It was early days, and the Tigers were in a rich run of form. Time yet to come back into it.
Fabio Carvalho shot wide as the Tigers immediately pressed Ipswich in response, and shortly after came their first corner.
Around the half-hour mark, Conor Chaplin had a shot deflected over, before Massimo Luongo fired just wide.
Jaden Philogene blazed over in the 36th minute, as the atmosphere around the stadium remained loud and febrile.
Then, five minutes before half-time, Ozan Tufan grabbed the equaliser that had the home fans roaring once more.
Ipswich keeper Václav Hladký played a short pass out to Sam Morsy, who was caught napping and immediately robbed by Seri. He squared it to Tufan, who fired into the top right corner of the net.
Game on… or was it? Just over five minutes later, the visitors were back in front. A couple of minutes into first-half added time – the worst time to concede – Omari Hutchinson made it 1-2 with a brilliantly taken strike. Played in by Luke Woolfenden, he wasn’t closed down by Philogene on the right-hand corner of the area and he hit it quite beautifully, giving Allsop no chance.
Psychologically, then, a deflating way to end the half – but the introduction of Liam Delap for Morton spurred the Tigers on.
Delap made an almost instant impact, playing in Philogene in the area – and he crossed to Tufan, who headed just over. It was a great statement of intent as the Tigers, at this point, looked like they had little to lose.
A couple of minutes later, a short corner caused havoc in Ipswich’s box. A header from Jacob Greaves wasn’t dealt with and Tufan had an even better chance to equalise, but he headed a yard over yet again.
There was a similar scramble in the Tigers area moments later, leading to an Ipswich corner which was cleared at the near post.
Omur made a great run into the box in the 52nd minute, and from Ipswich’s clearance Burns did well to keep the ball, and Allsop came out bravely to deny Hirst under pressure from Greaves.
And then, in the 56th minute, City were back in it.
Alfie Jones played in Carvalho, who swung in a vicious cross from near the byline. Delap was in the perfect position to smash it in from close range.
Game on – again.
Still Ipswich pressed, and Leif Davis’s 25-yard free kick was hit on to the crossbar by Luke Woolfenden as the hour mark approached.
Substitute Kieffer Moore had a shot saved by Allsop in the 65th minute, after which came a couple of corners in quick succession – and then came the goal that looked like a bridge too far for the Tigers.
It was another cracker by Hutchinson, a carbon-copy of his strike in front of the South Stand, beating Allsop all ends up from the right-hand corner of the box.
City fans could have been forgiven for thinking this was it. Season over. Ipswich just had the edge. A bit too much firepower, just a bit too much direction and organisation. Ah well, what a valiant effort – well done, lads, you gave it your all.
And yet. There was one final twist in the tale.
Noah Ohio, who bagged that crucial winner at Coventry on Wednesday night, was introduced for Omur in the 74th minute. He soon won a corner after his deflected shot was tipped over by Hladký. He couldn’t, could he?
Three minutes from normal time… he did.
City were awarded a free kick about 30 yards out on the right, which Carvalho lofted high into the area. Greaves headed it goalwards, and Hladký could only parry into the path of Ohio. He hit into the roof of the net and it came back down off the crossbar… and landed over the line – cue total pandemonium.
All City had to do was keep it out to ensure the drama continued to the final day – and somehow they managed to keep it out as Hutchinson, Sarmiento and Morsy all had shots blocked in the fourth minute of added time.
Then there were hearts in mouths as Carvalho conceded a free kick right on the edge of the area in the 95th minute.
Hutchinson was set to take the kick… would he bag a hat-trick and break City’s hearts? The anticipation was almost unbearable as he stepped up.
He blazed it yards over the bar – and that was that. Somehow, it had ended all square in what will go down as one of the all-time classics at the MKM Stadium.
Yes, there were some defensive clangers, but what an effort from the Tigers against a very, very good team.
After that awful Stoke match, fans cried out for a response. They wanted more urgency, more purpose and, of course, more shots – and the Tigers delivered, suddenly transforming themselves into one of the Championship’s form teams and banging in 15 goals in seven matches.
If they don’t quite make it next week at Plymouth, it will be disappointing – gutting, really, given how close they’ve come – but that’s what the Tigers do. They just keep you hanging on.
Don’t stop believing – and see you in Devon…