Fulham’s Jimenez make Ipswich pay the penalty

Bengaluru — Raul Jimenez scored two equalisers from the spot in a dramatic second half as Fulham held Ipswich Town to a 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Sunday, extending the hosts’ unbeaten streak to eight league matches.

Both teams converted penalties within two minutes as Jimenez cancelled out Sammie Szmodics’ first-half strike in the 69th minute, before Liam Delap restored the visitors’ lead after Timothy Castagne brought him down.

But Jimenez got a second crack at restoring parity when Leif Davis fouled him in the 90th minute, denying 18th-placed Ipswich a chance to climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since November.

“It’s really bad for us. I think we did everything to win the game ... this is two lost points,” Jimenez told Sky Sports.

Ninth-placed Fulham dominated possession in the first half but struggled to create chances and conceded against the run of play as failed clearances from Antonee Robinson and Calvin Bassey led to Szmodics’s strike in the 38th minute.

When Sam Morsy brought down Harry Wilson in the box shortly after the hour mark, referee Darren Bond initially denied the penalty, before changing his decision after a review prompted by the VAR.

Christian Walton, whose reflex save had kept out Jimenez’s header in the 20th minute, could not deny him from the spot.

Ipswich almost sealed the win in the 89th minute, but Harry Clarke’s shot from the edge of the box found the woodwork.

Fulham, who are unbeaten since November, remained on 30 points while Ipswich are in 18th place, equal with 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have played a game less. 

Reuters