Chelsea 2-2 Ipswich: Blues demonstrate resilience as Champions League hopes remain in the balance | OneFootball

In December, there was a moment when Chelsea seemed poised to become Premier League title challengers, but that now feels like a distant memory as they compete for Champions League qualification following a 2-2 draw with Ipswich this afternoon.

To the dismay of Blues supporters, even during that earlier positive stretch, head coach Enzo Maresca—Chelsea’s seventh permanent manager in six years and the fourth under Clearlake Capital’s brief, two-year ownership—dismissed the idea of the Blues succeeding Manchester City as Premier League champions. That pessimistic statement has now come back to haunt them.

At one point, Chelsea enjoyed a five-game winning streak as part of an eight-match unbeaten run (six wins and two draws), which placed them second, just three points behind leaders Liverpool after 16 matches. No team in England’s top division had outscored their 37 goals while boasting the highest expected goals (xG) at 34.8.

However, their form deteriorated quickly, leading to a five-game winless streak (three draws and two losses), including a defeat at Portman Road against Ipswich. They managed to win five of their next ten matches (four losses and one draw) leading up to this weekend’s return fixture against the relegation-threatened Tractor Boys.

Recent efforts leave Chelsea in fifth place, which is sufficient for Champions League qualification, but with seven clubs realistically competing for three spots, they might easily miss out.

Chelsea’s sudden struggle in front of goal is a pressing issue needing immediate attention. Previously, they dominated opponents and scored at will, but since matchday 17, something has gone awry. Only five sides have scored fewer goals in the competition than Chelsea (19) since December 21st. Only Leicester (4.29%) has a lower shot conversion rate, excluding blocks (10.44%), and Maresca needs to address it.

Before today, Chelsea had achieved three consecutive clean sheets at Stamford Bridge, their best such run since April–May 2024. However, that streak was broken when Ipswich’s on-loan Brighton forward, Julio Enciso, scored in the 19th minute. Ben Johnson then doubled Ipswich’s lead just after the half-hour mark.

Axel Tuanzebe forced the ball into his own net, following Marc Cucurella’s close-range shot, immediately after the break, giving Chelsea a lifeline. Coming off the bench, Jadon Sancho drew the sides level 11 minutes from time, leading to a grandstand finish, but the points would be shared. This was only the 12th time Chelsea trailed by 2+ goals at half-time of a Premier League game at Stamford Bridge, but only the second time they avoided defeat in such a match, also drawing 2-2 with Tottenham in May 2016.

Today against Ipswich, they registered 34 shots on goal—more than double their season average of 15.9 in the Premier League—but only managed nine on target (two goals), with a 2.14 xG score highlighting their inefficiency. Complicating matters further, their most valuable player and key figure, Cole Palmer, has gone quiet. He’s not scored in ten consecutive league appearances, although he has provided three assists during this time. In the ten matches prior, Palmer found the net seven times.

He did provide the assist for Sancho’s equaliser, but it feels like another disappointing performance, with expectations surrounding the 22-year-old playmaker being lofty. Palmer’s contributions mean Chelsea have now picked up 14 points after falling behind in 16 matches. As for Ipswich, who were seeking a second league double over the Blues, previously doing so in the 1978-79 top-flight campaign, they have lost 27 points from winning positions this season, more than any other team.

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