BENITEZ: SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH TEAM
IPSWICH 3 NEWCASTLE 1: FALTERING MAGPIES STILL NOT HOME IN PROMOTION RACE
Rafa Benitez has challenged his Newcastle United players to right the wrongs of Newcastle United’s damaging Championship defeat at Portman Road.
The result has left Benitez and his players looking over their shoulders at Reading and Huddersfield Town in third and fourth place respectively.
Huddersfield’s 1-1 draw against Derby County saw Championship leaders Brighton – who beat Wigan Athletic 2-1 – promoted to the Premier League.
United, however, still have a lot of work to do in their three remaining games.
Benitez said his team was “not focused and mentally ready” for the Ipswich game, which followed a 1-1 home draw against Leeds United.
Asked why they were not ready, Newcastle’s manager said: “It is difficult to explain. We will analyse, but that is the reality. I am not a manager that will be blaming players here in the press conference.
“We know what I told them at half-time and at the end. We know that something was wrong.
“Now we have to analyse this and change quickly. We have to get back to playing at the level we were playing at before.”
Ipswich always had more appetite for the fight and had the ball in the net in the 13th minute via Tom Lawrence’s free-kick - but David McGoldrick was adjudged to have hauled down Isaac Hayden.
Newcastle should have taken the lead when Dummett’s dangerous cross was met by a diving header from Matt Ritchie - but he headed wide with the goal gaping.
Ritchie was made to pay when he was dispossessed by Myles Kenlock, allowing Lawrence to burst into the box and tee up Freddie Sears to fire the game’s opening goal beyond Darlow.
Ipswich were close to doubling their lead just two minutes later when another fantastic break ended with Sears crossing and McGoldrick seeing a goalbound shot deflected over by DeAndre Yedlin.
Newcastle grabbed an equaliser in the 62nd minute through Daryl Murphy, who tapped home Christian Atsu’s dangerous low cross.
Ipswich regained the lead seven minutes later when a fine moving involving Lawrence and Grant Ward ended with Sears crossing low and beyond Darlow for McGoldrick to tap into the unguarded net at the far post.
McGoldrick went tantalisingly close to making it 3-1 when his cross-shot was tipped over by the alert Darlow - but the excellent home side were not to be denied.
Sub Brett Pitman found space down the right and his cross was expertly volleyed home by Emyr Huws in stoppage-time.