Ipswich pays a penalty and Raúl Jiménez's double gives Fulham a late equalizer | first division

A story of three penalties and an outcome that, in the end, was fair. Fulham They were on the verge of suffering a rare defeat when Raúl Jiménez converted his second penalty of the afternoon at the start of added time and they could feel that they had never done enough to defeat a well-drilled Ipswich side. Kieran McKenna's side had twice taken the lead, thanks to Sammie Szmodics and a Liam Delap penalty; It remains to be seen if this was one that got away, but they don't behave as if they were destined for the fall.

Any student of two compact and laudably drilled teams might have expected a chess match from the start, although one Fulham defeated only once in 11 games was favorite to upstage. Marco Silva made them purr, even allowing a high number of draws, and gave them the kind of presence Ipswich would love to achieve in time.

The prospects of the visiting team were damaged in the preparation by the adductor injury of Omari Hutchinson, who had scored brilliantly in a beat chelsea that gave life to their fight against relegation. Ipswich top the lists for the division's fitness problems and the feeling was that, without their most reliable line-breaker, this would be a day for guts and courage in the drizzle of the Thames.

Those predictions were confirmed in a start full of effort but lacking pace, with Ipswich sitting back and relying on Delap's noisy running to take them up the field. Within seconds of kick-off he had left his mark on Sasa Lukic; Eight minutes later, his burst into the penalty area brought a free kick and, on the second ball, a cross from Leif Davis that narrowly evaded Szmodics.

However, most of the game was dictated by a Fulham side eager to ask questions from the flanks. It took them 20 minutes to create an opening but, when it came, Christian Walton reacted splendidly to stop Jiménez's header low to his right. Jimenez, who had received a delivery from the retired Tom Cairney, probably should have scored. Then, Alex Iwobi, having shot at Ben Johnson inside the area, had a glimpse of the goal, but was denied by a desperate block from Jens Ctrabajo.

By the half-hour mark, Fulham were dominating and their opponents were struggling to gain meaningful possession, except when Delap advanced. They shouted for a red card when Harry Wilson, running through the middle, was brutally controlled by Davis. A caution was deemed sufficient, much to Silva's chagrin, with Davis perhaps saved by the distance of 40 yards from goal and Dara O'Shea's potential to cover.

To compound Fulham's frustration, Ipswich proceeded to attack with their first notable opening. Antonee Robinson had just squandered a good position after more sublime work from Iwobi when, following possession on the visitors' left, Nathan Broadhead sent a cross to the far post. Johnson and Robinson got up to challenge for the ball, but the ball bounced off the latter's head and fell onto the crossbar. There was still scope for Calvin Bassey to clear, but he failed horribly in his attempt, allowing Szmodics the opportunity to charge through the defender's attempted save.

Despite all the pressure from Fulham, Jiménez's chance was the sum of his efforts. Silva, still complaining to the referees about Davis' reprieve upon returning for the second half, introduced the art of Emile Smith Rowe at the interval. Issa Diop, center back, was sacrificed and the pattern of what would come next seemed set.

Ipswich showed themselves first after the restart, Bassey shutting down Szmodics as the goalscorer glimpsed more joy. The rain was pouring down now, and Fulham's expected siege failed to materialize after an hour, beyond Jacob Greaves' sharp defense of a Robinson cross and a poorly cut Iwobi attempt.

When a chance materialized, Smith Rowe could only parry a header as he dived onto Iwobi's chipped cross. Silva quickly called on Andreas Pereira and Rodrigo Muniz, but had Bernd Leno to thank almost immediately as he brilliantly deflected Broadhead's half-volley around the left post.

Fulham could take advantage of the opportunity. Darren Bond initially signaled for play to continue when Wilson fell under the attention of Sam Morsy, but it did not appear to be a dive and the Ipswich captain looked guilty. The VAR confirmed it, highlighting Morsy's touch on Wilson's knee in mid-flight. Jiménez did the rest and Fulham had the platform they craved.

Just 21 seconds later, it collapsed. Delap spun into Timothy Castagne and fell dramatically, Bond pointed to the spot and replays showed there had been contact. Delap, full of confidence, scored the penalty and a strange move left Fulham with everything to do again.

Jiménez headed wide and Silva threw into the sink in the form of Adama Traoré. It was Ipswich substitute Jack Clarke who could have sealed matters by drilling against the post. But seconds later Davis tripped Jiménez and the replay could be completed.