Coventry City’s unbeaten home run in the Championship ended as Ipswich Town earned a 2-0 victory on Monday, handing Frank Lampard’s side a second defeat to the same opponent in a month and denying Coventry City the chance
to move 11 points clear before Middlesbrough’s match.
The league leaders produced a display below their recent standards and struggled to create clear chances, finishing with only two shots on target and an expected goals figure of 0.46, while Ipswich Town stayed compact, broke effectively, and restricted Coventry City for long spells throughout the Championship contest.
This result marked Coventry City’s first home defeat of the Championship season and highlighted Ipswich Town’s strong form, with the visitors generating 1.10 expected goals from 17 shots and extending a run of just one loss in seven matches as Ipswich Town continue to chase an immediate Championship return to the topflight.
The key creative figure for Ipswich Town in this Championship meeting was Marcelino Nunez, who supplied the final pass before both goals and moved on to eight assists for the league campaign, with no player in the Championship recording more so far, while Wes Burns scored for the first time in the competition for Ipswich Town since May 2024.
The opening period belonged largely to Ipswich Town, who pressed high and threatened late in the first half when Jack Taylor met a loose ball around 15 yards out and drove a fierce effort towards goal, but Coventry City goalkeeper Carl Rushworth reacted sharply and produced an outstanding save to turn the shot away.
After the interval, Ipswich Town maintained control and almost took the lead when an unusually poor pass from Matt Grimes allowed Ivan Azon a clear run through the middle, yet Rushworth again kept Coventry City level by blocking the low attempt, before the breakthrough arrived shortly afterwards for Ipswich Town in this Championship fixture.
The opener came three minutes later as Jack Clarke cut inside and bent a curling effort towards goal that deflected off former Ipswich Town defender Luke Woolfenden and wrong-footed Rushworth, and later, with Coventry City chasing an equaliser after Frank Lampard’s midfield changes, Clarke launched an 82nd-minute counter-attack, released Nunez, and Wes Burns finished the sweeping move for Ipswich Town’s second.
Ending the year with a superb win! pic.twitter.com/E1IwYE8tTLIpswich Town (@IpswichTown) December 29, 2025
| Team | Goals | Shots | Shots on target | Expected goals (xG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry City | 0 | - | 2 | 0.46 |
| Ipswich Town | 2 | 17 | - | 1.10 |
The defeat left Coventry City still at the top of the Championship but with the gap potentially reduced by Middlesbrough, while Ipswich Town’s composed performance, clinical counters, and contribution from Nunez and Burns underlined growing momentum in the promotion race as the visitors strengthened their position in the push for a topflight return.
