Delap scores twice as Ipswich hold Villa

London, Sep 29: A superb individual strike from two-goal Liam Delap earned Ipswich Town a draw against Aston Villa, who missed a chance to move level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool.
With Ipswich trailing 2-1 in the second half, striker Delap collected the ball just inside Villa territory, raced into the penalty area and tricked his way beyond Diego Carlos before firing low past goalkeeper Emi Martinez.The former Manchester City forward had turned in Jack Clarke’s cutback to give Ipswich an eighth-minute advantage, but visitors Villa recovered to lead by half-time at Portman Road.
Morgan Rogers collected Jacob Greaves’ poor clearance and exchanged passes with Ollie Watkins before crashing in his first goal for the season to equalise.Leon Bailey’s cross from the right then picked out unmarked England striker Watkins, who nodded past Arijanet Muric from six yards.At that stage Villa looked set to achieve a comeback victory for the third Premier League match in a row.However, Delap’s intervention secured a fourth successive league draw for Ipswich as the Tractor Boys climbed to 15th in the table.In a thrilling encounter at Portman Road, Liam Delap’s remarkable performance not only secured Ipswich Town a valuable point but also thwarted Aston Villa’s hopes of climbing the Premier League table. Despite Ipswich’s early lead, Villa showcased their resilience by fighting back to take the lead before Delap’s stunning equalizer brought the match to a close. With this draw, Ipswich now sits comfortably in 15th place, while Villa will be left reflecting on missed opportunities as they aim to keep pace with the league leaders. performances. (Agencies)