Ipswich Town lost 2-1 at Burnley in an FA Cup fourth round replay last night. STUART WATSON reflects on the action.
HEADS HELD HIGH
Burnley have taken 37 points from a possible 45 at Turf Moor this season.
They're an incredible 20 points clear of third at the top of the Championship table.
In the cups, they've won at Premier League side Bournemouth and given Manchester United a really good game at Old Trafford.
But it took them more than 180 minutes to get the better of Ipswich Town.
Kieran McKenna's much-changed side were more than a match for the Clarets in a goalless draw at Portman Road.
It was a similar story at Turf Moor, with a highly competitive and engaging cup clash stuck at deadlock after the two teams traded quickfire early goals.
Social media was full of Burnley fans heaping praise on the Blues after their side's stoppage-time winner.
Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was, once again, very complimentary too.
"There’s not a lot of difference between Ipswich and some of the teams we face in the Championship," said the Premier League icon.
"We have had a lot of opponents at Turf Moor and there aren’t many who have competed like they have."
GUTSY REACTION
There were just 43 seconds on the clock when Burnley cut through Town with a slick move to open the scoring through Nathan Tella.
At that stage, I have to admit to fearing that the floodgates could open.
But Town quickly hit back with an equally well-worked goal of their own. Sone Aluko's forward pass was outstanding, Kayden Jackson produced pace and composure and George Hirst bundled home the cut-back.
For the next five minutes or so, the shocked home side were rocking as Ipswich repeatedly came at them.
Burnley did eventually settle, but the Blues now clearly had belief they could do something in this tie.
The press was high and hard. There was a clear desire to win 50/50s and pick up second balls. Defensively, the team was compact and concentrated. Offensively, moves were quick and decisive.
This first half performance was everything that the passive opening 45 minute display at Cambridge United had been three days prior.
RUNNING ON FUMES
As the second half wore on it was clear that several Town players, understandably, were starting to run on empty.
The time-wasting started around the hour mark when Jackson stayed down to receive some treatment.
McKenna changed three of his forward players on 70 minutes to try and restore the tempo, but counterpart Vincent Kompany was able to make three high-quality subs of his own.
Ipswich began to defend deeper and deeper. Some tired tackles started to go in. Burnley had big penalty appeals ignored in the 81st minute.
There was only going to be one winner in extra-time. In the end it didn't get that far.
THE DIFFERENCE
The top teams are clinical when it matters.
Kayden Jackson fired too close to the keeper at the end of a crisp counter-attacking move in the 66th minute.
By contrast, fellow right-winger Tella made no mistake when he found space in the box with 93 minutes on the clock. The Southampton loanee made a difficult finish look easy.
Did Ipswich have a case for a foul in the build-up though? I think so. The experienced Ashley Barnes, not long on as a sub, really pushed the boundaries of what's allowed physically when battling Woolfenden to flick on a long ball.
Five of the last 18 goals that Town have conceded have come in the 90th minute or beyond.
PUSHING THEIR CASE
So who has put their hand up to be selected for Saturday's massive home clash with League One leaders Sheffield Wednesday?
Jackson speed and work-rate on the right was, just like in the home meeting, impressive. He has a chance for the weekend given Wes Burns sat out last night with an injury that 'needs assessing'.
Cameron Humphreys, once again, played with a maturity beyond his years in central midfield. McKenna waxed lyrical about the teenager afterwards, saying 'he is representative of what we want to be about'.
The 19-year-old has a chance for the weekend given Lee Evans and Massimo Luongo were also enforced absentees.
Sone Aluko's dancing feet and fancy flicks were a joy to watch. It's unlikely he's going to leapfrog topscorer Conor Chaplin in the pecking order, but the 33-year-old has certainly pushed his case for a place on the bench.
McKenna said Hirst produced 'his best performance by some way for us'. Is that enough to knock the in-form Freddie Ladapo out the league side?
Greg Leigh's athletic display at left-back provides food for thought too after Leif Davis' below-par showing at Cambridge.
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