Sir Bobby Robson adored both of these clubs but, in their first Premier League meeting since his passing, it was Newcastle whose display would have made the old master’s eyes twinkle. This was, put bluntly, men against boys and the away side would not have been flattered by a heavier win. Ipswich, truly pummelled for the first time this season, could plead a fair degree of mitigation but Eddie Howe’s players will rarely be allowed to run amok like this away from home.
They scored within a minute through Alexander Isak and never let up, the Swede eventually completing a hat-trick and a record of nine goals in as many top-flight outings. Jacob Murphy, influential here, thudded in the second of a match that was over by half-time. Newcastle, lethal in successive 4-0 wins, are starting to suggest a return to their convincing best.
In the two hours preceding kick-off queues had formed by the statue of Robson, draped in a half-and-half scarf for the day, that stands yards from the away supporters’ section at Portman Road. A helpful steward obliged those who waited in line for photographs; these two institutions, much-changed but each retaining their own beating heart, will always share something precious in his legend.
Newcastle found something of high shorter-term value within 26 seconds of the start. The instinct was to assume Murphy had strayed offside when collecting a raking Fabian Schär pass that exposed Cameron Burgess. He had space to surge into and, when his cross from the right was only half-cleared, Isak thrashed the loose ball into the ground and past Aro Muric. Up went the flag but, after a wait of almost three minutes, VAR determined Murphy’s timing had been on point.
Rain was teeming down and it was hard to see how the weather might change for Ipswich. Their talented nuisance of a centre-forward, Liam Delap, was suspended and a knee injury meant no opportunity for his deputy, George Hirst. It meant Sammie Szmodics, capable but no natural No 9, began up front and Newcastle would be let off handling a bundle of physicality.
Ipswich, similarly, would not have to handle a banned Joelinton. But Newcastle hardly missed him, with Sandro Tonali shooting a little too high from range and Anthony Gordon missing a golden chance on the quarter-hour mark. The winger should have scored after Murphy, again outdoing Burgess, stood up a delivery from the byline but bounced his header over.
In worsening conditions, Ipswich grasped some kind of foothold. Jens Cajuste, their impressive midfielder, was not far off after a strong left-sided run and Martin Dubravka was called upon to block smartly after Conor Chaplin had played Szmodics in. It briefly became the kind of stretched, end-to-end affair both teams prefer. Isak failed to capitalise on another clear opening when, after Murphy had played him through, he allowed Muric to save comfortably.
The problem for Ipswich was that, with this amount of space on offer, Newcastle simply had too much. Murphy, a Norwich academy graduate, took their next chance emphatically after Gordon had carried the ball across the box. His angled blast off the bar gave Muric no chance; an oft-derided player has, with three goals in two league games, hit some welcome form.
Perhaps Ipswich could at least avoid further damage before the interval. That idea was nixed when Muric, with no outball further forward, played Cajuste into a disastrously tight spot and Bruno Guimarães picked his pocket inside the box. Isak, in front of goal, benefited and could not miss.
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If Muric’s decision-making was awry, that of the Ipswich fans who elected to boo was even further off target. Afternoons this bleak are vanishingly rare at Portman Road nowadays and the limitations they were working under here had been well advertised. Kieran McKenna introduced Ali Al-Hamadi, who was only half-fit because of long-term groin issues, to add a second-half spearhead but after some early flickers their woes were compounded.
Guimarães had just missed with a diving header when Murphy, again tormenting Ipswich, tricked into the area with no defender offering a challenge. The backheel that subsequently found Isak was nonetheless sublime, and the finish, stabbed in with no backlift, yet another masterclass from one of the division’s most beguiling talents.
Almost immediately, Joe Willock misfired when sent through. Newcastle were rampant, with Gordon the next to threaten before shooting tamely. The score could have been anything at that point but they stopped at four, the point long since made in a final quarter played out at friendly pace.
Source: theguardian.com
