Ipswich Town win second East Anglian Derby on the season
It finished 0-2 at Carrow Road on Saturday afternoon. Goals came from Philogene and Hirst
Ipswich Town have won the second East Anglian Derby on the season.
It finished 0-2 at Carrow Road in 90 minutes after things kicked off at 12.30pm yesterday.
Goals came from Jaden Philogene and George Hirst.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was delighted to be part of an historic win which also boosted their hopes of automatic promotion.
The hard-fought victory not only took Town back into the Championship’s top two but also completed a first derby double for the visitors since the first season of the Premier League in 1992-93.
A controversial 11th-minute penalty set Ipswich on the road to victory, with Anis Ben Slimane punished when he caught Jack Taylor when attempting to clear his lines and Jaden Philogene slotted home the resultant spot-kick.
Town doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when George Hirst fired home after a Darnell Furlong long throw had been flicked on, and then saw out of game in impressive fashion as Norwich penned them back.
"As soon as I came here I was told how important this fixture was"
“This is a brilliant result for the club,” said McKenna. “As soon as I came here I was told how important this fixture was and that it had been so long since we’d beaten them.
“We finally got a win at our place earlier in the season and now we’ve backed it up by completing a double. I know how much this means to everyone connected with the club and I am sure they will all be enjoying it.
“We came here with a game plan and the lads have done a brilliant job in what was a really tough game and delivered something special for the fans.
“We had to concede territory at times but we defended really well, got our headers and tackles in, and showed great resilience and togetherness to get the job done.
“It’s another important three points but there’s another game coming up on Tuesday (at Portsmouth) so we won’t have too long to enjoy it. Hopefully we can celebrate this properly in three weeks’ time.”
"Not a penalty"
Norwich head coach Phillippe Clement felt his side were unlucky with the award of the early penalty.
“We started well but then we were hit by a penalty which was not a penalty,” said Clement.
“Anis goes to clear the ball, their player dives into him and Anis doesn’t touch his leg. We have a transition and then four or five seconds later the referee gives a penalty. That is why I support VAR – you have to get these decisions right.
“After that my players kept fighting, trying to play good football, but we didn’t finish it off, we didn’t create enough in the final third. That is something we will be working on in the coming weeks.”
Clement was also angry he received a yellow card late in the game, meaning he will face a touchline ban at Bristol City next week.
“The fourth official said too many of my staff got up at one stage and I was responsible for not controlling them, which is difficult when they are behind me,” he added.
The last time the teams met the Tractor Boys came away the winners at Portman Road- ending Norwich City's 14 game unbeaten run in the fixture.
Town came into this one having won three of their last six games and sitting second in the Championship table.
While Canaries entered it having won four of their last six games and with a faint chance of reaching the play-offs.
Norwich face Bristol City next Saturday from 3pm away from home.
Ipswich face Championship strugglers Portsmouth from 8pm on Tuesday.
Message from the Police:
Police have thanked football fans from Norwich and Ipswich following this sell-out local derby.
Match-day policing commander, Chief Supt Wes Hornigold said: "My thanks go to everybody at Carrow Road this afternoon. We know this match holds great significance for both sets of supporters.
“Our primary responsibility is to keep people safe; we’ve been able to do that as well as balance the needs of supporters.
“I know some supporters were asked to wait for a little while along Thorpe Road, Lower Clarence Road and Carrow Bridge, so my thanks to them for waiting with good grace, and to all supporters for their patience and understanding.
"My thanks also go to our emergency service colleagues, both football clubs and partner agencies for being so willing to work with us – I really appreciate their support.”
Currently, six people have been arrested following the match for offences including criminal damage, common assault, being drunk and disorderly and affray. They remain in police custody.
The policing operation surrounding today’s match has been months in the planning, and designed to focus on public safety, prevent crime and disorder, minimise disruption and help people travel to and from the stadium.
A significant number of officers were deployed in and around the stadium in Carrow Road, the surrounding area and the city centre along with other specialist police resources, including drones and police horses, before, during and after the match.
Some travel restrictions were put in place around the stadium by officers before and after the match to ensure supporters could move safely to and from the ground. These restrictions have now been lifted.