A contentious late penalty allowed Ipswich to rescue a draw against their promotion rivals Middlesbrough, moving Kieran McKenna's team back into the top two of the Championship. The visitors had taken the lead through David Strelec, but Kasey McAteer equalized for Ipswich.
Tommy Conway then restored Boro's lead, only for Jack Clarke to level the score with a penalty in the 87th minute. The penalty was awarded after George Hirst was fouled by Adilson Malanda in the box, despite minimal contact.
Ipswich now sits in second place on goal difference, with four games remaining and a game in hand over their rivals. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough's automatic promotion hopes are fading after they squandered two crucial points and extended their winless run to seven games. Boro boss Kim Hellberg admitted that securing second place will be difficult, given the simple math involved.
Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna praised his team's performance, stating they were the better side in the first half but failed to defend their box and were not clinical in front of goal. He emphasized that his team was not playing for a draw and was pushing to win the game. Hellberg, on the other hand, believed his team was better over the 90 minutes and should have won the game, questioning the penalty decision that led to the equalizing goal.