Penalties Galore in Four Goal Thriller - Fulham vs. Ipswich Town

In a thrilling encounter at Craven Cottage, Fulham and Ipswich Town played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in the Premier League. The match, which saw three penalties and a controversial red card appeal, was played under challenging conditions with heavy rain and snowfall in London the night before. The result leaves Fulham in 9th place, while newly promoted Ipswich remain in 18th, fighting for survival in the top flight.

The game kicked off with the home side dominating possession, but Ipswich took the lead in the 38th minute through Sammie Szmodics. The Irish international capitalised on a weak clearance from Fulham's Calvin Bassey in the penalty box. Szmodics found the ball, striking it on the half-volley and sending it past keeper Bernd Leno to put Ipswich 1-0 up.

This goal came just 10 minutes after a VAR review for a possible red card. In the 27th minute, Fulham's Harry Wilson surged away from Leif Davis and was brought down in the box. The question was whether Davis was the last man, which would have resulted in a red card. After a review, the referee decided there was enough cover in the defence, and Davis was shown only a yellow.

Fulham manager Marco Silva was furious with the decision, stating post-match that he 'cannot understand' how Davis avoided a red. Despite the controversy, Ipswich held their 1-0 lead into the second half.

The second half saw Ipswich look the stronger of the two sides, pressing high and creating some decent chances. However, not a lot came from their opportunities. Meanwhile, Fulham dominated possession, with 74% of the ball, but struggled to break down Ipswich’s defense.

Jack Clarke hit the post with a long-range shot in the 66th minute that looked destined for the back of the net. Fulham found the ball well on the counter-attack and Wilson was tripped in the penalty area by Sam Morsy but the referee clearly missed the challenge and the on-field decision would be overturned by VAR.

Wilson visibly protesting the decision, was backed by Marco Silva who shared his frustration.

Raul Jiménez stepped up to take the penalty and the Mexican striker made no mistake, firing past Christian Walton to bring Fulham level at 1-1 in the 68th minute.

Man of the match Raul Jiménez celebrating his first goal of the game

Fulham’s joy was short-lived, as just three minutes later, Ipswich regained the lead. Liam Delap was awarded a penalty after being fouled by Timothy Castagne in the box, although it was certainly a soft decision. Delap sent Leno the wrong way to give Ipswich a 2-1 lead in the 71st minute.

With Ipswich looking to walk away with three points, they had several more opportunities to add to their lead but just couldn’t take advantage. As the game seemed to be slipping away from Fulham, they launched an attack in the 90th minute, and Raul Jiménez was tripped by Leif Davis in the penalty area. After a brief check, the referee awarded Fulham their second penalty of the match. Jiménez stepped up for the second time and converted to make it 2-2 in additional time for the last bit of action in the game.

Liam Delap - Scored the goal that put Ipswich 2-1 up in the second half