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Ipswich Town beat Fulham 2-1 at Portman Road, scoring twice in the last three minutes to flip a game that looked lost. Ryan Sessegnon had put Fulham ahead in the 55th minute with a 25-yard strike, and Fulham then missed a pile of chances to make it safe, Oscar Bobb's miss from 12 yards the pick of them. Abdoul Ouattara levelled with a 30-yard effort in the 88th minute, and Dara O'Shea headed in a Clarke free-kick in the first minute of stoppage time. For newly promoted Ipswich it's a welcome win in Matchweek 6 after a rocky start, and Gary O'Neil said they deserved it. Fulham are still without a league win under Alvaro Arbeloa, have two points from six games and stay in the relegation zone.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Matchweek 6, and this is a proper bottom-of-the-table scrap. Ipswich are 18th on three points, Fulham are 20th on two and still haven't won a league game. Whoever loses will be staring at the relegation places with a very uncomfortable international break ahead. A draw helps nobody, which is a very football way to spend an afternoon.
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2Fulham have a surprisingly good record here: they're reportedly unbeaten in their last nine meetings with Ipswich. Fun fact to drop in, if you want to sound like you've done your homework. Ipswich, back in the top flight and desperate for a first home win to settle the nerves, would very much like that run to stop at Portman Road.
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3Player to watch: Josh King, Fulham's 19-year-old midfielder. He's got two goals in five league games, and Arsenal are reportedly among the clubs keeping an eye on him. Teenager scoring in a team that can't win is a useful thing to know. If he scores, you can say you spotted him before the bigger clubs got there.
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4The subplot is squad news on both sides. Ipswich are without winger Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, who is suspended after his red card against Everton, and Jack Taylor is doubtful after knee surgery. Fulham's Antonee Robinson took a knock to his ankle in training, so manager Arbeloa may not get 90 minutes out of him. Arbeloa also has the Football Association (FA) charge from his comments after the Manchester United draw hanging over him, so he'll want a win more than most.
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5The hook: Fulham were a whisker from a win over Manchester United a couple of weeks back, until Cunha's late deflected equaliser snatched a point. That's the sort of thing that sums up their start. Bookmakers still have Fulham as slight favourites, so Ipswich fans can enjoy being the underdog, and everyone else can enjoy the likelihood of goals at both ends.
Team Talking Points
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1Ipswich lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday, so they go into the break 14th and without a league win in five games. Bournemouth are flying, with eight straight wins, so it's not exactly a shameful defeat. Still, a five-game winless run is the kind of stat Ipswich fans are counting.
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2The opener came after just five minutes, when Evanilson dispossessed keeper Christian Walton and finished with a no-look effort. It made him the first Bournemouth player ever to score in five Premier League games in a row. Unfortunately for Ipswich, they became a footnote in someone else's record.
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3The second goal was cruel. Ryan Christie's shot deflected in off Leif Davis for an own goal. Jack Clarke pulled one back from the penalty spot, but Ipswich couldn't find an equaliser.
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4Gary O'Neil is the man in charge now, after spells at Bournemouth and Wolves. Under him Ipswich have a stubborn streak: they have the best record in the league for winning back points from losing positions. Mention that and you'll sound like you've done your homework.
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5Before Bournemouth came a 2-2 draw at fellow promoted side Hull, a properly chaotic end-to-end game. Ipswich are safely clear of the bottom three for now. The aim this time is to avoid going straight back down, which is what happened after their last Premier League visit in 2024-25.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Ipswich never know when they're beaten, which is great, but they could do with not going behind quite so often.
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Avoid saying
"Ipswich are just here for one season again" — they've heard it every week since promotion, they're sitting comfortably mid-table, and they'd quite like you to look at the actual league table.
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1Fulham drew 1-1 with Newcastle at Craven Cottage on Saturday, and it took a late scramble. Jacob Murphy put Newcastle ahead with a stunner in the 80th minute, before substitute Rodrigo Muniz flicked in an equaliser three minutes later. It was his first Premier League goal in seven months, so the celebration had some feeling behind it.
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2Head coach Álvaro Arbeloa, the former Real Madrid and Liverpool defender, has Fulham on 10 points from 10 games. That's not thrilling, but they took eight of those points from the last four matches. They go into the break feeling a lot better than they did a month ago.
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3Odd but true: that was Fulham's first ever Premier League draw at home to Newcastle. It's the kind of trivia that makes you sound like you've got the stats app open under the table.
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4The reward for that improvement is a trip to Manchester City on 21 November when the league comes back. Expectations will be realistic. Mind you, City just lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, so a Fulham fan might be quietly hopeful.
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5Fulham are one of those clubs that never seem to be in the headlines, which suits them fine. The ground sits right on the Thames and has a 'neutral' section, a genuinely unusual thing in English football. Ask a Fulham fan about it and they'll be delighted someone noticed.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Eight points from the last four is decent going. Arbeloa's got Fulham ticking again, and Muniz scoring off the bench never hurts.
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Avoid saying
"Fulham? They're just a nice day out by the river" — it's meant kindly, but saying it out loud tells every Fulham fan you think their club's a tourist attraction rather than a football team.