Ipswich Town started September with a 3-2 win against Cardiff City, coming from 2-0 down to pick up all three points at Portman Road.
Goals from Aaron Ramsey and Joe Ralls put the Bluebirds into a fantastic position, but Nathan Broadhead's thunderbolt got them back in the game. Substitute Freddie Ladapo struck twice in the second half to put them ahead, sending them into the international break on the back of a sensational win.
The first chance went Ipswich’s way after a very open start to the game. Wes Burns, playing against his boyhood club, was able to lay the ball off for Harry Clarke, who dinked a pinpoint cross into the box for Broadhead. The winger made good contact with the ball, but was only able to divert his header into the gloves of Runar Alex Runarsson in the fourth minute.
Cardiff enjoyed spells of possession, but their early finishing left a lot to be desired. Clarke gave Karlan Grant too much space down Town’s right, allowing him to cut inside and go from goal. However, the West Brom loanee’s effort flew comfortably wide, ending their first real period of pressure.
They could, however, have been ahead in the 16th minute. Leif Davis was forced to clear the ball for a corner, which Dimitrios Goutas headed at goal from point-blank range. Vaclav Hladky jumped up to make an astonishing save, but Grant was able to rifle the rebound into the net before the flag was raised for offside, keeping the scores level.
Town looked to respond in the 20th minute, but it remains to be seen whether Conor Chaplin meant to go for goal or cross into the box. He combined nicely with Burns down the right, picking up the ball in a more central position before fizzing it into the box. It curled around everyone and almost wrong-footed Runarsson, who was forced to make a late save to push it wide.
The hosts began to look more and more disjointed, allowing Cardiff to capitalise bang on the half-hour mark. Grant was able to beat Clarke with ease, playing a low ball into the box for an onrushing Ramsey, who calmly slotted it past Hladky to make it 0-1.
Ipswich came close to an immediate response. A sumptuous through ball played George Hirst clean through on goal, but the striker’s shot was parried by Runarsson. It looked like it could’ve looped up into the back of the net, but it bounced wide before Mark McGuinness cleared the danger.
They were dealt another blow 10 minutes before half time as Hirst pulled up with an injury, having only returned to training in the buildup to the game. Kieran McKenna waited to hand Dane Scarlett his debut, instead bringing on Ladapo to lead the line. He went close with a low effort from the left flank in the 42nd minute, but it bobbled just past the post.
The Blues almost equalised a few second later as Ladapo found space once again. He was dispossessed at the critical moment, but the ball rolled over to Chaplin, who stabbed it at goal from close range. Runarsson was able to push it away from close range before Broadhead was beaten to the rebound.
Yakou Meite had a quiet half up until the final seconds before the break, when he should’ve put Cardiff 2-0 up. Ollie Tanner’s floating cross from the right found the former Reading striker in plenty of space in the box, but he inexplicably headed over the bar.
Ipswich started the second half really well, getting the crowd behind them as they kept the ball in the final third. However, on a rare Cardiff break, Ralls was able to take aim from the left side of the box. His initial shot was blocked by Luke Woolfenden, but it came back to him, allowing him to slot the ball into the back of the net to make it 0-2 to the Bluebirds in the 53rd minute.
McKenna's men refused to back down, much like last weekend's defeat to Leeds United. Cameron Burgess made a run from deep, heading Leif Davis' cross narrowly over the bar in the 55th minute.
Their goal did come eventually, with Broadhead atoning for an absolutely disastrous free-kick in the 59th minute by scoring a few second later. The Wales international picked up the ball on the edge of the area and shifted it onto his right foot, smashing a sensational shot into the roof of the net to make it 1-2.
It clearly gave Ipswich confidence as they began to turn the screw. Cardiff's string of needless fouls allowed them to progress into the final third, winning a corner in the 68th minute. Davis' low delivery looked destined to be cleared, but Ladapo shrugged his way through to slip it into the back of the net.
Grant and second-half substitute Ike Ugo both had chances to give Cardiff the lead once again, but Hladky made two fantastic saves to deny the pair.
With 15 minutes on the clock, Town were running out of time for a winner. McKenna brought on Omari Hutchinson as one of three changes, and the Chelsea loanee was just four minutes later.
He picked up the ball down the right, cutting inside and crossing into the box. Runarsson pushed the ball out as far as Ladapo, resulting in it bouncing off the striker and into the back of the net to make it 3-2, winning the game for Ipswich.
Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Hladky; Clarke (Williams 75'), Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis; Morsy (Evans 90'), Luongo (Taylor 75'); Burns (Hutchinson 75'), Chaplin, Broadhead; Hirst (Ladapo 36')
Cardiff XI: 4-2-3-1: Runarsson; Ng, McGuinness, Goutas, Collins (Colwill 83'); Siopis, Ralls (Panzo 62'); Tanner (Ugbo 46'), Ramsey, Grant; Meite (Wintle 63')
Attendance: 28,011 (951 away)
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