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“The Ipswich crowd booing Bukayo Saka for the gross negligence in allowing his Achilles to be assaulted by one of their players – it brings to mind Stoke City fans’ equivalent assessment of Aaron Ramsey deliberately breaking his leg against the studs of one of their players,” notes Charles Antaki. “And Stoke weren’t even being relegated at the time.”
Arsenal need to avoid defeat here to ensure the title race doesn’t end today. The good news is that, after Trossard and Martinelli goals and a red card for Ipswich’s Leif Davis, their chances of losing this game are now about 0.00001%.
49 mins: Saka can’t latch on to an overhit White pass. Blow the whistle, ref! At Craven Cottage, it’s Fulham 1-0 Chelsea at the break.
48 mins: We’re in the midst of five added minutes, and everyone looks fairly keen to get down the tunnel. At Old Trafford, it’s Manchester United 0-0 Wolves at half time.
46 mins: A scrappy old patch of play culminates in Hirst barging Kiwior to the floor. “Re: Davis’ red card. Is that what’s called an agricultural challenge from the Tractor Boys?” honks Graham Fulcher.
44 mins: George Hirst wins a foul in the centre circle, greeted by huge cheers from the aggrieved Ipswich fans. Morsy looks to hoist it forwards to Hirst, who nods it back towards Burgess – who is penalised for a foul on Moreno.
43 mins: Saka misses a third decent chance in quick succession, getting a boot to Trossard’s cross but sending his effort spinning wide.
41 mins: Saka’s every touch is still being booed vociferously for the crime of being trodden on by Davis, and there’s big cheers as his cross is claimed by Palmer.
38 mins: Saka at least appears to be moving fine after that Davis tackle, which will be good news for Mikel Arteta. Odegaard looks to scoop the ball into the area, where Alex Palmer collects.
37 mins: Another lovely, deft touch from Merino springs the Ipswich offside trap, leaving Saka one-on-one – but with the goal gaping, he puts his shot wide!
36 mins: Saka now being heartily and undeservedly booed, and he almost quiets the home fans down with a curling effort from out wide that swoops just beyond the far post.
35 mins: Credit to Ipswich fans who booed the original decision, then booed louder when replays were shown on the big screen – managing to avoid the evidence of their own eyes.
34 mins: Jack Clarke is the unlucky attacker who gets the hook, allowing Cameron Burgess to come on and bolster the defence.
It goes from bad to worse for Ipswich, with Leif Davis shown a straight red card for a frustrated lunge on Bukayo Saka. He has little cause for complaint, treading on Saka’s heel with the ball long gone.
Ipswich Town’s Leif Davis is shown a red card by referee Chris Kavanagh. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
Fulham 1-0 Chelsea: Marco Silva’s side saw an early goal chalked off for offside, but they do now lead through Alex Iwobi.
Odegaard plays the ball to Saka, who ghosts past Davis on the right and cuts back to Merino – who produces a moment of magic, backheeling the ball across goal for the unmarked Martinelli to smash it home. Who needs the Baller League with skills like that?
There’ll be no title party today. Arsenal double their lead with a goal of quite brilliant simplicity.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli scores their second goal. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
“Roger Osborne famously broke down after his Wembley goal and had to be substituted,” says Justin Kavanagh of the 1978 Cup final. “I think a similar level of shock would accompany any Ipswich winner today.”
26 mins: Saka slips on the ball in the Ipswich area – a few usually sure-footed players having issues out there today.
25 mins: Merino tugs on Enciso’s arm as the Ipswich man tries to break away – it’s a free kick, but the Arsenal midfielder is spared a booking, much to the home fans’ frustration.
23 mins: Oof! Could have been two for Arsenal here, with Saka’s wicked far-post delivery met by Mikel Merino, unmarked and a couple of yards out. He just can’t crane his neck enough to keep his header on target, though.
22 mins: Martinelli bursts towards goal from the left, but is well marshalled by Tuanzebe. Arsenal corner, which is cleared behind for another corner …
21 mins: Jack Clarke bustles forward for Ipswich and picks out Johnson on the right. His cross towards Hirst is cleared, and Clarke’s awkward attempted lob on the rebound swirls over the bar.
20 mins: Odegaard hooks a pass left to Martinelli, before Arsenal work it backwards through midfield, all the way back to David Raya.
17 mins: Trossard has another go from the edge of the area which flies high over the bar. The assist for his goal goes to Odegaard, who got a faint touch on Saka’s pass. They all count.
Odegaard carries the ball forward then finds Saka on the right. With the Ipswich defence back-pedalling, Saka crosses towards Odegaard. He lets the ball slip past him, but no matter – Trossard is there to poke it beyond Alex Palmer as he topples backwards.
Liverpool fans, this might not be the day. Leandro Trossard prods home to give Arsenal the lead!
Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard scores. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard celebrates with teammates after scoring their first goal. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters
13 mins: Enciso continues to carry the fight for Ipswich, nicking the ball away from Rice in the Arsenal half, but just failing to pick the right pass with options on either side.
12 mins: Arsenal hold off another venture upfield from Enciso, and Martinelli sees off the danger by drawing a foul from Ben Johnson.
11 mins: Saka feeds Merino, who tumbles over under pressure. No free kick, but Odegaard is quick to pick up the loose ball, trying to scoop it into Martinelli’s path. He can’t get it under control, though, and it bobbles away for a goal kick.
9 mins: Enciso leads an Ipswich attack, then cuts in from the left and shoots for goal. Ben White blocks his effort, with the ball possibly striking his elbow – but his arms were down in the “natural position”.
7 mins: Remember, an Arsenal defeat here opens the door for Liverpool to win the title today. It’s not looking likely so far, with the visitors dominating possession and already pinning Ipswich back.
5 mins: An Ipswich through ball has the home fans halfway out of their seats, but David Raya races out to get to the ball ahead of George Hirst. Arsenal break quickly and Trossard’s snap shot is deflected behind.
4 mins: Odegaard already conducting things for Arsenal, trying to play in Saka on the right and then looking for Martinelli, who cuts inside but lets the ball slip past him.
2 mins: Martinelli hooks in a cross from the left, but Ipswich deal with it comfortably enough.
1 mins: Arsenal, in their red and white home kit, have spent the first 90 seconds sweeping the ball around their own half.
Here we go…
A blast of “Insomnia” over the PA, a spray of dry ice, and Ipswich players stride out in their oversized Umbro jackets. Big 90s vibes.
The Arsenal players are lined up in the tunnel, with Martin Odegaard having a nice chat with the mascot standing next to him.
“I fear for Ipswich back in the Championship, without recent experience of opening the Premier League parachute,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “In that respect, Leicester and Southampton might be better-placed to bounce back up next season.”
Arteta has made three changes from that game at the Bernabéu; both full-backs are rotated, with Zinchenko and White replacing Lewis-Skelly and Timber. Leo Trossard replaces Thomas Partey, which means Mikel Merino will likely drop into midfield.
Meanwhile, Liam Delap is still not ready to start after a rib injury, and starts on the Ipswich bench with George Hirst continuing up front.
Mikel Arteta is asked how important today’s game is after the Champions League win over Real Madrid: “Very important. Now we have to focus on the Premier League, show that we can be consistent. Some results have slipped away from us, that’s the Premier League, and it’ll be a tough match today. They make it difficult for opponents, they are organised and also have an attacking threat.”
Ipswich and Arsenal’s most famous meeting came in the 1978 FA Cup final, where Bobby Robson’s boys earned a 1-0 victory at Wembley. Roger Osborne’s winner came after Ipswich had hit the woodwork three times; a dominant upset, if you will.
Here’s Nick Ames on reasons for Ipswich to be cheerful, despite their imminent return to the Championship.
Ipswich (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Tuanzebe, O’Shea, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Johnson, Enciso, Clarke; Hirst.
Subs: Walton, Woolfenden, Chaplin, Jack Taylor, Burgess, Delap, Luongo, Godfrey, Boniface.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenk; Rice, Merino, Ødegaard; Saka, Trossard, Martinelli.
Subs: Neto, Tierney, Partey, Timber, Sterling, Butler-Oyedeji, Henry-Francis, Lewis-Skelly, Nwaneri.
On a different timeline, where a handful of this season’s Premier League results were reversed, this is a massive game in both the title race and relegation battle. Sadly, in this universe, Ipswich – despite being the best of the three promoted sides this term – are 14 points from safety and doomed to a swift Championship return.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are the league’s second-best team – 13 points behind leaders Liverpool. Champions League glory is undoubtedly their focus now, rather than keeping a lukewarm title race ticking over. If they lose here, the party could start at Anfield this afternoon. In the more likely event of an Arsenal win, Ipswich will need snookers to beat the drop.
So, not the massive Easter match-up it might have been, but still potentially a very significant fixture between two teams who’ve kept us entertained this term. We’ll also keep you updated on Fulham v Chelsea, and Man Utd v Wolves. Join me…
