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Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest drew 1-1 at Portman Road in Matchweek 8, with Julio Enciso's equaliser just before half-time cancelling out Neco Williams' early opener. Forest took the lead in the 13th minute and had most of the chances, winning the shot count 17-7, but couldn't find a second. Former Ipswich striker Liam Delap came back to Portman Road and left with nothing, including a gilt-edged miss with 16 minutes left. Sky Sports also flagged some VAR controversy along the way. Both clubs now sit on 7 points from eight games, just a point clear of the bottom three, so neither side will be doing any celebrating.
Pre-match Talking Points
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1Matchweek 8 at Portman Road, and the stakes are lopsided. Ipswich are 10th on 9 points, comfortably mid-table. Nottingham Forest are 19th on 5 points, one bad result from the bottom-three conversation getting loud. Forest lost 3-1 at Crystal Palace last time out, so this is a game they badly need rather than merely want.
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2Ipswich are newly back in the top flight under new manager Gary O'Neil, who took over from Kieran McKenna after five years. Forest, by contrast, are the club that finished high not long ago and now find themselves looking nervously downwards. Two clubs, two very different moods, and a fixture that doesn't need much of a rivalry to be spicy.
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3Player to watch: Dan Ndoye, Forest's biggest goal threat. If Forest are going to get out of this, it's likely to be him dragging them. For Ipswich, keep an eye on Emersonn, who has two goals from 11 shots this season. Handy to know if you want to sound informed about a team's striker without having watched them.
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4The subplot is the injury list. Forest are without Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona, and both Nikola Milenkovic and Morgan Gibbs-White are doubtful, which is a lot of quality to be missing when you're 19th. Ipswich are without the suspended Issahaku Fatawu, though Sasa Lukic is expected back. Check the team sheets before you commit to an opinion.
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5The hook: Ipswich's last game was a 3-2 defeat at Manchester City, which is a perfectly respectable way to lose, and they've been up and down all season (LWLWL). Forest's form is D-W-L-L-L. One of those sequences gets interrupted tonight, and the bookies and the models can't agree who it'll be. Squawka narrowly favours the home side, BetMGM leans Forest.
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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1Forest go into the international break on a high after beating Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground last Saturday. It was their first home league win of the season, and it lifted them out of the relegation zone to around 16th.
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2Liam Delap scored twice, and he came through City's academy, so beating his old club was extra sweet. Jair Cunha opened the scoring after six minutes. Cunha also cleared an Erling Haaland shot off the line, which is the sort of thing defenders tell their grandchildren about.
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3Before Saturday, Forest had gone almost six months without scoring a goal at home. Six months. Mention that to a Forest fan now and they'll laugh, because it no longer hurts.
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4Manager Oliver Glasner said changes were needed after the previous defeat to Brentford, and he made them. Ryan Yates got his first start of the season and was reportedly behind a rousing team talk before kick-off. An academy lad firing up the dressing room is exactly the kind of story Forest fans love.
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5The job now is to stay up. One big win doesn't fix a season, and the bottom of the table is very crowded. Still, beating the team that had won seven in a row at the start of the season does wonders for belief.
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Top thing to say down the pub
Six months without a home goal, then three against Man City. Forest really don't do things the easy way.
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Avoid saying
"Forest are a big club, they'll be fine." Two European Cups is a great history, but it scores no goals, as six goalless months at home proved. Fans know a relegation scrap when they see one, and they don't want it waved away.