Cardiff City 2-1 Ipswich Town: Stuart Watson's verdict

Wes Burns and Manolis Siopis contest the ball. (Image: PA)

TACTICAL BREAK

Town faced some early pressure in this game. David Turnbull's swerving 25-yard effort had to be smartly dealt with by Vaclav Hladky. The division's set-piece specialists then went close from the subsequent corner, Hladky keeping out Josh Bowler's angled shot and Kieffer Moore subsequently clearing off the line.

Luke Woolfenden had to charge down a Josh Wilson-Esbrand shot, after Karlan Grant had breezed past Sam Morsy down the left, Hladky spilt a Bowler shot before recovering, while Morsy got away with a lunge from behind on Manolis Siopis as the latter looked to burst into the box.

Town needed to regroup. In the 18th minute they had the chance to do. Conor Chaplin sat down on the turf in the centre circle to receive prolonged treatment for an injury that was unclear. That allowed Kieran McKenna to call in the rest of his players and impart some advice near the technical area. Chaplin was okay to carry on.

This is increasingly looking like a tactical move given we saw it midway through the first half in the games against Millwall and Plymouth too.

Once again, it made a difference. Town started to play with more composure and control. For the fourth successive game, the score was 0-0 at half-time - and we know how the previous three finished.

The Blues hadn't been at their best, but the recent past gave belief that fitness levels, a never-say-die spirit and a strong bench would prove the difference. 

Kieffer Moore fires Ipswich Town in front at Cardiff City. (Image: PA Images)

SILENCING THE BOOS

Kieffer Moore scored 25 goals for Cardiff over an impressive season-and-a-half. The Bluebirds pushed hard to bring him back from Bournemouth in January only to lose out to Ipswich.

What sort of reaction would he get on a return to the Cardiff City Stadium? We got our answer to that when a significant number of boos greeted his name being read out before kick-off. It was the same whenever he touched the ball in the early exchanges.

The 6ft 5in front man clashed heads with Dimitrios Goutas early in the second half and suffered a deep cut above the eye. Bandaged up, he carried on battling away.

Town's travelling army of fans in the corner turned up the noise during that delay. Nathan Broadhead and Omari Hutchinson came on for Jeremy Sarmiento and Chaplin in the 64th minute. Then Marcus Harness and Jack Taylor replaced Wes Burns and Massimo Luongo in the 76th. Ipswich slowly but surely dialled up the pressure.

Kieffer Moore's goal celebration was muted back at his former club. (Image: Ross Halls)

Hutchinson's bending effort testing keeper Ethan Horvath was a prelude to what was to come.

Taylor broke the lines with a straight pass, Harness found Moore down the left side of the box and the Welshman drifted forwards, almost nonchalantly, before firing a fine left-footed finish into the far corner of the net.

The 31-year-old, despite his hot reception, still produced a respectfully muted celebration against his former employers.

That's six goals in nine appearances for him now. This looked like it was going to be his day.

Ryan Wintle fires home Cardiff City's equaliser. (Image: PA)

CRUMBLING AT THE DEATH

A big moment in this game was Moore being subbed in the 88th minute.

Was it a 'give him his moment' substitution that ultimately backfired? McKenna insists the front man had reached the point of exhaustion.

It meant the Blues had a lost a key defender of set-pieces heading into the final stages.
Not only that, players who had been brought on in an attempt to chase the win were now being asked to see it out. 

Broadhead may be an X-factor player, but he's not the best defensively. Taylor is a natural No.10 playing in a deep midfield role. Hutchinson works hard off the ball, but he's not the biggest. Town were always going to be vulnerable to a late aerial bombardment with that personnel on the pitch.

Would Axel Tuanzebe been a better option to replace Moore? Perhaps. Hindsight's a wonderful thing though. Had that backfired then McKenna could have been accused of being too negative and inviting pressure.

The first warning sign came in 90+3 when a searching low cross from deep right just evaded Famara Diedhiou in the six-yard box and was stabbed over the bar by a stretching Callum O'Dowda at the far post.

In 90+5, a catalogue of small errors added up to the equaliser. Davis was too slow to close down the ball wide. Hutchinson was guilty of being the wrong side of O'Dowda in the box. After the ball was nodded back down into the danger area, Burgess should have done better with the clearance. Fair play to Ryan Wintle for the cool chest control and firm finish, but it should never have come to that.

The home crowd sensed there was still time for a winner - and so it proved.

Was there a foul on Davis in the lead-up to Cardiff winning a corner? Perhaps. Burgess missed his header when attacking an inswinging corner that flew into the box though, the ball richocheted off bodies, Diedhiou hooked it over his shoulder in a crowded spot and O'Dowda was there to divert the ball in from close-range. Harry Clarke was neither on the post or marking his man. 

Two poor goals to concede, you have to say. Let's give the Blues a little bit of leeway though.

Physical and mental fatigue probably played its part following a long trip back from Plymouth the previous weekend and an emotionally-draining game against Bristol City in midweek.

Cardiff, who have now scored 19 goals from set-pieces this season, have done this to plenty of other teams too.

Callum O'Dowda turns in Cardiff's 90 10 winner after a corner was not cleared. (Image: PA)

TOO MUCH TIME?

The clock said 99:24 when the winning goal hit the back of the net. The fourth official had indicated a minimum of eight minutes added time.

McKenna said afterwards that he felt stoppage-time numbers had been 'erratic' this season, but didn't want to make a big deal about its role in this defeat.

In the second half, there was a near five minute delay for that Moore injury, eight subs were made over five windows and there was a goal restart. Eight minutes was, therefore, more than fair.

In stoppage-time, Hladky was booked for time-wasting, there was a goal restart and Cardiff made another sub. Going on for another minute-and-a-half was, therefore, hardly outrageous. 

Ipswich need to look at themselves, with some calm and measured self-analysis, rather than blame the ref for this one.

Marcus Harness reacts after Town's last-gasp defeat. (Image: PA)

SOME PERSPECTIVE

Ipswich have claimed plenty of points by coming from behind and scoring late this season. Going gung-ho at the death has brought more joy than pain. 

It's also important to recognise that Town have seen plenty of games like this over the line this season too - think Sunderland, Bristol City and Swansea away. Game management and general resolve has come on leaps and bounds since that 4-4 draw at Charlton less than 15 months ago.

It's definitely fair to point out that Ipswich have conceded too many goals in general this season. Only three teams in the top half have leaked more.

It's far too simplistic, however, to say 'attack good, defence bad'. Town score as a team and they concede as a team too.

Town have lost only five games in 37. No-one else in the division can say that.

With nine games to go, the Blues are four points off the top, one behind second and, quite remarkably, have a 20 point cushion to seventh. All that as a newly-promoted club.

You can't win 'em all. Onto the next one.