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A decade and a half of frustration have at long last come to an end for Ipswich Town. A curse that had persisted for longer than many forgotten places was broken in conclusive fashion as East Anglian rivals the visitors were defeated 3-1 and thoroughly outclassed in the home side’s first win in fifteen derby matches.

Match-Winning Goals and Key Performances

Goals from Cédric Kipré – the standout performer – the mercurial Jaden Philogene and Clarke were the key turning points of the contest, with the away team's kamikaze attacking also contributing. But the figure of Marcelino Núñez, who found the net against the Tractor Boys for the Canaries in the previous derby two seasons ago then finalized a £10m move to Ipswich in the summer, loomed all match. Featuring on the cover of the programme and in the voices of the home fans, even as he started the game on the bench, this was a high-profile signing that in the end delivered the desired effect.

Game Summary and Key Incidents

After a energetic atmosphere in and around the stadium before the kickoff, the first thirty minutes was as scrappy as yesterday's news. But the hosts took the advantage in the 32nd minute with a cleverly executed set piece. The cross came from Philogene: a deep outswinger that found O'Shea at the far post. O’Shea headed the ball down to the penalty spot and, after a brief melee, it came to Cédric Kipré who took a touch and slammed the ball into the goal.

This was what the home crowd had been waiting for and Ipswich looked in a strong position to push forward, but the visitors fought their way back into the match. A series of turnovers by the away side ended with one finding Ante Crnac who sprinted behind Davis to win a corner. Kellen Fisher’s delivery was directed at Harry Darling at the back post, but was cleared out to Oscar Schwartau who fired a driven effort straight back at goal and, via a minor deflection, past a stranded Alex Palmer.

Norwich were euphoric and Ipswich’s fans became a somewhat restless. This was a story they had seen repeatedly before, while the Ipswich's showing was increasing worries over a uneven start to the campaign following relegation. But one consistent factor during the early fixtures has been the goalscoring form of Jaden Philogene, and he was set to strike again.

Jaden's Stunning Goal

The away team were passing neatly in the midfield with the clock having just ticked to 45 minutes when Schwartau’s fellow Dane, the midfielder Pelle Mattsson, inexplicably let the ball roll between his legs and through to a waiting Philogene. From there the attacker acted quickly. He advanced straight on target and, after a couple of controls, let fly a powerful shot from 25 yards that brushed the top of Vladan Kovacevic’s fingers but flew into the upper net of the goal. His reaction – a na-na-na-na-na with his fingers in his ears – may require some work.

After the Break Action

At the interval the club icon Jim Magilton came on to the field to urge the supporters to keep believing, and vowed that the opponent's advanced backline would produce more chances. Soon enough he was proven right. The home side were increasingly able to send runners into the space offered up by Norwich’s pushing defenders. George Hirst should have scored from a similar chance soon after the restart, but fluffed his effort when one on one with the keeper. Presented with a mirror image of an opening on the 60-minute mark Hirst opted against shooting at all and crossed the ball into empty space.

Núñez’s Influence and Jack's Clincher

With a quarter-hour to go each side made a series of substitutions but attention were on a particular player. Núñez came on to the field to a chorus of raucous chanting and soon after he had made the decisive contribution the narrative had forewarned. The visitors were attempting to hustle into some attacking activity, but a forward burst from Harry Darling ended in a poor touch and Cajuste stole the defender before sliding the ball instantly to the Chilean. The Chilean needed just an moment to read the play and lofted a ball behind that high line into his fellow substitute Azón on the left flank. His driven shot went past Kovacevic and on to a post, but Jack Clarke (also a substitute) was on handy to turn the loose ball home calmly.

Final Minutes and Celebrations

The final quarter-hour were a dominant spell for the visitors but there was no further embarrassment to be suffered. At least not in open play. At the final whistle, as the stadium erupted, Núñez was given his own lap of honor of the ground, accompanied by the cameras. Holding the team banner and displaying a banner of a tweet from a opposing fan demanding a memorial at Norwich's ground, the midfielder appeared to be having the time of his life.