Sunderland Miss Out After Ipswich Fightback
Sunderland have slipped outside the play-off places in the EFL Championship after a narrow defeat to promotion rivals Ipswich Town.
The Black Cats headed into the long trip to Suffolk keen to bounce back from the 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the FA Cup and they started the game strongly with Jobe Bellingham forcing an early save from ‘keeper Vaclav Hladky.
Sunderland continued to create chances and hit the front when Abdoullah Ba skipped into the box for the right hand side before squaring the ball for Jack Clarke to hammer the ball into the net.
Harry Clarke drove a cross-shot wide as Ipswich chased a leveller, and they fashioned an equaliser shortly after the half-hour mark when Conor Chaplin touched a through ball into the path of Kayden Jackson, who was able to curl the ball beyond the advancing Anthony Patterson.
Patterson saved well from Harry Clarke before Adil Aouchiche missed a great chance to put Sunderland back in front moments after coming on.
Aouchiche then gave away a free-kick for a foul on Leif Davis, who stepped up to curl in a free-kick that was powered into the net by Chaplin.
Ipswich could have added a third late on but secured the three points, with Sunderland now just outside the play off places on goal difference ahead of a Friday night fixture with Hull.