Late Clarke Strike Earns Ipswich Dramatic Draw at Southampton

Southampton FC and Ipswich Town FC played out a dramatic 2-2 draw in the Championship on matchday 40, with substitute Jack Clarke snatching a late equaliser for the visitors.

The game, played on 28 April 2026, burst into life early in the second half. Ipswich struck first on 48 minutes when Wes Burns finished a move set up by Ivan Azón, giving the away side a 1-0 lead.

Championship FINISHED

2026-04-28 18:45

Southampton FC

2 - 2

Ipswich Town FC

Matchday 40 REGULAR_SEASON

Southampton responded just 10 minutes later. Ryan Manning levelled the score in the 58th minute with a strike that brought the hosts back into the contest. Moments earlier, Ipswich defender Jacob Greaves had gone into the referee’s book in the 57th minute, the first yellow card of the evening.

The match swung again in Southampton’s favour on 80 minutes. Manning turned provider, supplying the assist for Cyle Larin to make it 2-1 to the home side, seemingly putting them on course for an important three points.

However, Ipswich’s substitutions proved decisive. Introduced in the 67th minute for Jaden Philogene-Bidace, Clarke made his impact felt late on, striking in the 87th minute to level the match at 2-2 and silence the home crowd.

There was further disciplinary action for Ipswich when Azón received a yellow card on 75 minutes, just before being replaced by George Hirst. The visitors also brought on Kasey McAteer, Jens Cajuste and Chuba Akpom, while Southampton introduced Samuel Edozie and Ross Stewart as they chased control of the game.

The result leaves both sides taking a point from a pulsating contest, with Ipswich twice scoring away from home and Southampton unable to hold onto their late advantage. Detailed data on lineups, possession and other statistics was not available at the time of writing.

Full match details and competition context can be found on Ballaxy: match page, the Southampton team profile, the Ipswich Town team profile and the Championship overview.

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Championship Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	Coventry City FC	46	28	11	7	97	45	52	95	W W W D D
2	Ipswich Town FC	46	23	15	8	80	47	33	84	W D D W D
3	Millwall FC	46	24	11	11	64	49	15	83	W D W W D
4	Southampton FC	46	22	14	10	82	56	26	80	W D D W W
5	Middlesbrough FC	46	22	14	10	72	47	25	80	D W W D L
6	Hull City AFC	46	21	10	15	70	66	4	73	W L D D L
7	Wrexham AFC	46	19	14	13	69	65	4	71	D L W W L
8	Derby County FC	46	20	9	17	67	59	8	69	L W L W L
9	Norwich City FC	46	19	8	19	63	56	7	65	L D W W L
10	Birmingham City FC	46	17	13	16	57	56	1	64	D W W D W
11	Swansea City AFC	46	18	10	18	57	59	-2	64	W D W L W
12	Bristol City FC	46	17	11	18	59	59	0	62	W L D L D
13	Sheffield United FC	46	18	6	22	66	66	0	60	W L L W W
14	Preston North End FC	46	15	15	16	55	62	-7	60	L W L L W
15	Queens Park Rangers FC	46	16	10	20	61	73	-12	58	L L L L D
16	Watford FC	46	14	15	17	53	65	-12	57	L L L L L
17	Stoke City FC	46	15	10	21	51	56	-5	55	L L L L D
18	Portsmouth FC	46	14	13	19	49	64	-15	55	D W L W W
19	Charlton Athletic FC	46	13	14	19	44	58	-14	53	L W L D L
20	Blackburn Rovers FC	46	13	13	20	42	56	-14	52	L W D L D
21	West Bromwich Albion FC	46	13	14	19	48	58	-10	51	L D W W D
22	Oxford United FC	46	11	14	21	45	59	-14	47	L W L L W
23	Leicester City FC	46	12	16	18	58	68	-10	46	W D D L L
24	Sheffield Wednesday FC	46	2	12	32	29	89	-60	0	W L L D D