Ipswich Town 2-4 Nottingham Forest: Anthony Elanga at the double as Forest have too much for Kieran Mckenna’s side with gap to Premier League safety increasing to nine points
Ipswich Town were left to rue a disastrous six-minute spell in the first half as they fell to a 4-2 home defeat to third-placed Nottingham Forest which saw the gap to safety increase to nine points, effectively 10 on goal difference.
Like so often, the Blues had started brightly in a Premier League game only to find themselves quickly staring down the barrel of defeat as Champions League-chasing Forest scored three times on their way to inflicting a third defeat of the season on the Suffolk side.
Nikola Milenkovic’s fierce half volley, following a corner coming back into the box in the 35th minute was followed by a brace for Anthony Elanga on 37 and 41 with a run and curling finish preceding chasing down a long ball out the back that was allowed to bounce throw.
There was certainly some fight shown in the second half for Kieran Mckenna’s side but Jens Cajuste’s fine lofted finish after a smart turn eight minutes from time for the Swedish international’s first Premier League goal came too little too late.
Substitute George Hirst’s 93rd minute header brought the deficit back to two once fellow sub Jota had slotted home Morgan Gibbs-White’s run through on the break after a poor Kalvin Phillips pass.
With Wolverhampton Wanderers winning 2-1 away at basement side Southampton, it opens up a chasm to safety with the 16-better goal difference effectively sending the Blues into the international break 10 points adrift with nine games to play, leaving their fans now praying for a miracle.
Kieran McKenna made just the one change from the 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend with Omari Hutchinson fit to start ahead of Jack Clarke who dropped into an otherwise unchanged bench.
Nuno Espírito Santo kept to the same starting XI and bench that he named for the 1-0 home win over Champions League rivals Manchester City.
After Jens Cajuste made an important tackle on Callum Hudson-Odoi in the penalty area from an early Forest attack, Hutchinson was fouled just outside the area before firing the fourth-minute free kick straight into the wall.
Town’s pressure forced a corner 11 minutes in which saw Liam Delap rise highest at the far post to Leif Daivs’ kick but his header looped over the near post.
The home side’s bright start continued with Julio Enciso’s deflected shot, after Elliot Anderson gave up cheap possession, conceding another corner from which Hutchinson curled over a low delivery to the edge of the box.
Forest threatened in the 20th minute from their own corner when Hudson-Odoi chipped the ball back in to the far post with Nicolas Dominguez getting to it but unable to turn it towards Alex Palmer with any power.
Callum Anderson saw a shot deflected wide off Chris Wood and Hudson-Odoi made the byline before clipping a cross through the six-yard box as the visitors enjoyed a sustained period in the Town half.
After Kalvin Phillips had come back on the pitch after having a foot injury seen to, Gibbs-White’s cross from deep on the right found Wood between two defenders but his header was straight at Palmer.
But it was a set piece which undid Town 10 minutes before the break and opened the floodgates.
Greaves’ header only half-cleared the right-sided delivery before Hudson-Odoi put it back in and Liam Delap's header landed straight at Milenkovic in the centre of the box with the Serbian controlling with his knee before firing off a half volley into the roof of the net.
Less than two minutes later it was 2-0 as Hutchinson was caught in possession mid-way in the Forest half and Anderson set Elanga away down the right before the former Manchester United man cut inside the area unchallenged before curling into the far corner.
The Town defence were punished further by the winger four minutes later as he burst onto a long Milenkovic ball out from the back that was allowed to bounce and drove past Greaves before stroking the ball home from 12 yards.
With the Blues searching for one back before half-time, the ball was nicked out from Enciso’s feet on the edge of the box into the path of Phillips whose well-struck shot sailed not far over the crossbar.
The half-time whistle was met with a ripple of low-key boos from a section of home fans.
McKenna reacted at half-time by bringing on Cameron Burgess for Greaves while Enciso, who had started on the left of the attack for the first time, moved back into the centre with Hutchinson on the right and Jaden Philogene switching to the left.
After Matz Sels clawed a Davis corner away from under his bar, the ball was only cleared as far as Hutchinson 25 yards out who fired in a shot that was straight at the Forest keeper.
Delap had his head in his hands in the 50th minute after sending his free header from 12 yards out from Davis’ corner wide of the left-hand post.
A flowing Forest move saw a low cross come in from the left from Dominguez for Wood whose effort was too close to Palmer, who cleared with his feet after the ball broke loose.
Town began to exert some sustained pressure after the hour mark with Jens Cajuste going down under the attentions of Milenkovic with the referee waving it away ahead of Davis firing wide from outside the box.
Delap beat Selz to a ball down the outside of the area but saw his lobbed effort, which didn’t look to be going in, headed out by the covering Milenkovic.
Williams sent a ball flying across the six-yard box after breaking clear of Hutchinson with O’Shea, who had done his best to block off the cross, left screaming at him.
Phillips sold Cajuste short with a pass on half way which saw Gibbs-White drive into the box before dragging his shot wide of the far post.
Town made a triple change with nine minutes to go with George Hirst, Jack Clarke and Nathan Broadhead replacing Delap, Philogene and Enciso.
And it was Clarke who was instantly in the thick of the action as the Blues finally gave the home fans something to shout about in the 82nd minute.
After spraying the ball out to Hutchinson he received it back before slipping a straight pass into Cajuste who beautifully turned it around sub Ryan Yates before firing in from just outside the area.
Palmer saved at the feet of Gibbs-White before McKenna’s final change saw Jack Taylor replace Phillips.
And his side found themselves back to three goals behind with three minutes to play when a loose pass from Phillps to Cajute on half-way saw Burgess left two-on-one with Gibbs-White reaching the area before laying across to substitute Jota to apply the finish, going in off Palmer's foot.
Four minutes of additional time were signalled with Town getting another back in the third when Hirst beat Jota in the air to O’Shea’s deep cross, planting it firmly down inside the left-hand post.
It was scant consolation though on another painful day in the Premier League with the climb to stay in it looked like now being insurmountable.
What will feel like a long 17-day break now begins before the trip to AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday, April 2 (7.45pm).
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Palmer, Davis, Woolfenden, Phillips (Taylor 86’), Enciso (Broadhead 80’), Cajuste, Delap (Hirst 80’), Hutchinson, Greaves (Burgess 46’), O’Shea (cpt), Philogene (J Clarke 80’).
Booked: Phillips (54’).
Unused subs: Walton (gk), Morsy, Taylor, Johnson, Townsend.
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Gibbs-White (cpt) (Danilo 89’), Wood (Awoniyi 81’), Hudson-Odoi (Jota 81’), Dominguez (Yates 67’), Elanga (Morato 67’), Milenkovic, Aina.
Booked: Dominguez (64’).
Unused subs: Hennessey (gk), Sangare, Moreno, Boly.
Attendance: 29.878 (3,000 away)
SuffolkNews Man of the Match: Jens Cajuste. What a way to score your first Premier League goal. But even before that the Swede stood out as the best of a poor bunch in the home team.
