Chambers puts Brighton bid for top spot on hold
Chris hughton was left rueing a missed opportunity to go top after Brighton were held by a dogged ipswich side.
The seagulls produced a second-half onslaught and sam Baldock was denied by a superb Bartosz Bialkowski save before Glenn Murray hit the post in stoppage time.
Victory would have put Brighton top after Newcastle drew at Norwich.
‘it certainly feels like two points dropped,’ the Brighton manager admitted. ‘We were playing at home and it is a game we should have won. it didn’t happen for us today.
‘But we must not get away from the fact we are in a good position in the league and deserve to be there. it is incredibly difficult to go through the season without difficult periods.’
ipswich took the lead in a lively opening when Luke Chambers bravely nodded home a ninth-minute free-kick from Tom Lawrence.
it came at a cost for the ipswich captain, who crashed into the knees of Brighton goalkeeper David stockdale and needed treatment on the pitch for several minutes before getting to his feet and continuing.
Moments earlier, team-mate Emyr huws came off worse after a thumping clash of heads with Brighton captain Bruno saltor. he left the pitch with blood pouring down his face and the visitors were down to 10 men for almost 10 minutes. huws eventually returned with a new shirt, his head bandaged and his team a goal to the good.
Brighton were snappy in response to falling behind. Lewis Dunk hooked a devilish Anthony Knockaert free-kick straight at Bialkowski before the midfielder went on a mazy run down the right, only to see his shot saved.
Brighton got the goal their pressure deserved in the 29th minute. saltor and huws tangled for the ball again but this time huws pulled the defend- er’s shirt as he chased a flick into the area.
Tomer hemed dispatched his effort low to Bialkowski’s left for his 13th goal of the season and his sixth in as many games.
ipswich midfielder Lawrence, on loan from Premier League champions Leicester, got his 10th booking of the campaign for dissent after arguing with the referee. he misses ipswich’s next two games against Leeds and Norwich.
ipswich continued to push forward. stockdale made a superb reaction save with his feet after Grant Ward found David McGoldrick unmarked. he then denied Lawrence at his near post early in the second half.
The midfielder was central to all of ipswich’s forward play. his free-kick 10 minutes later caused chaos in Brighton’s defence and Chambers turned the ball against the post from close range before McGoldrick’s effort from the rebound was deflected over.
For Brighton, Baldock missed a golden chance when put through by Knockaert, Bialkowski beating away the fierce shot to his left.
in the final moments Murray controlled a Jamie Murphy cross on the turn but cracked his effort against the post.
‘it would have been criminal injustice if that had gone in after the way we played,’ ipswich boss Mick McCarthy said. ‘it wasn’t a backs-to-thewall, nick-a-point game. Their keeper kept them in it.’