3 days Ago By Josh Ball
In my head, inspired by last night’s Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s celebration of Vienna and the new year, I had been composing a rumination on sport as classical music; how the sweeping movement of a team from one end of the field to the other could mirror the soaring works of Verdi or Haydn, or how a tennis player’s movements around a court might conjure a Strauss waltz, but then looked at what I had to work with and decided otherwise. Instead, we’re going to fall back on old faithful, the new year and fresh starts. Although, even with Manchester United again struggling to rise to the level of Euphemia Allen’s Chopsticks, it still has to be too early to considering Rueben Amorim’s position – doesn’t it? Ipswich, meanwhile, left it late, but they can tick a home win off their New Year’s resolution list.
Victory over Chelsea was their first triumph at Portman Road in the Premier League since they beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in April 2002. Suffolk then is a fitting place to start today’s wrap of what happened while you were sleeping. Could Ipswich be this season’s miracle team? It’s 20 years since West Bromwich Albion’s remarkable survival story, so who knows.
A side heavily tipped for relegation are now just a point from safety after a shock win over Chelsea. Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson scored either side of half-time to leave Kieran McKenna’s men in touching distance of Wolves, Everton and Crystal Palace. It was, according to McKenna, “one of the best nights.
We’ve been privileged to have a lot of good nights. Special one for the players and supporters”. Chelsea, meanwhile, missed out on the chance to close the gap on Liverpool at the top, and manager Enzo Maresca said he was going “game by game.
We are not focused on title race or those things”. The last time Manchester United were relegated from the top flight of English football – in 1974 – they reached the midway stage of the 1973-74 season 19th out of 22 teams, with 16 points from 22 games, having won five, drawn six and lost 11..
