Ipswich quick to shine in front of Jewell

Tamas Priskin is delighted after netting the goal which gave Championship strugglers Ipswich a deserved win over a strong Arsenal side in last night's Carling Cup semi-final first leg at Portman Road.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jan 2011, 09:51 BST
Updated 13th Jan 2011, 09:52 BST

The Tractors boys had been thrashed 7-0 at Chelsea in their FA Cup third-round tie on Saturday after axing manager Roy Keane.

However, there was to be no repeat last night as under the guidance of Ian McParland, with new boss Paul Jewell – the former Bradford City and Sheffield Wednesday manager – watching from the stands, a second-half strike from Priskin gave the Suffolk side reward for their endeavours and a slender advantage to defend at the Emirates Stadium in a fortnight.

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Arsenal had only just scraped a 1-1 draw in their home FA Cup tie against Leeds United on Saturday through a last-minute penalty from captain Cesc Fabregas.

Manager Arsene Wenger had warned against a repeat performance, and he looked to have taken no chances by naming a strong XI which included Spain World Cup winner Fabregas as well as England internationals Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere.

However, once more the Barclays Premier League title challengers failed to hit top gear and were fortunate not to lose by a bigger margin. The home fans were on their feet when Priskin netted an acrobatic overhead kick after 42 minutes, but celebrations were immediately cut short by an offside flag.

However, Ipswich finally made the breakthrough after 78 minutes when Colin Healy's through-ball split the Arsenal centre-backs and Priskin got ahead of Johan Djourou to calmly slot into the bottom right corner.

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Liverpool's problems away from home continued as Kenny Dalglish's first Barclays Premier League match since returning as boss ended in defeat at Blackpool.

The Reds' troubles on the road contributed to the departure of Roy Hodgson last weekend but the Seasiders showed October's win by the same score, 2-1, at Anfield was no fluke.

Fernando Torres had given Dalglish the ideal start with a third-minute strike but goals from former Huddersfield Town player Gary Taylor-Fletcher and DJ Campbell extended Liverpool's miserable away league record to just two victories in almost 13 months.

It was not the start the 59-year-old Scot was expecting on his return to the top flight after more than 12 years away.

picture: Sean Dempsey/PA.

Related topics:ArsenalCesc FabregasIpswichChelsea