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CHELSEA CAPTAIN REECE JAMES SUFFERS ANOTHER INJURY PROBLEM

Chelsea captain Reece James has suffered another injury setback and could face more time on the sidelines.

The 24-year-old-right-back only returned to action in October after missing the start of the season.

But boss Enzo Maresca revealed James will miss Saturday’s trip to Leicester after feeling something in his hamstring.

Maresca hopes the problem is not serious, but given the player’s injury history the club will not take any risks.

“Reece, unfortunately, felt something small and we don’t want to take any risks this weekend,” he said.

“Hopefully it’s not something longer. He felt something, he has to be out and then we’ll see. It’s his hamstring, a muscle problem.”

James has struggled throughout his career to string a consistent amount of matches together, but Maresca hopes that will eventually change.

“For sure,” he added. “But in this moment is not happening.”

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LIVERPOOL BEAT ASTON VILLA TO GO FIVE POINTS CLEAR ON THE PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah fired Liverpool five points clear at the top of the Premier League as the 2-0 victory over Aston Villa clinically exploited Manchester City’s defeat earlier in the day.

Anfield was buzzing after the news came in of Brighton’s victory over the defending champions and for long periods the atmosphere crackled with the sense of expectation and opportunity.

It was not their most convincing victory under Arne Slot, who has now won 15 of his first 17 games, but took Liverpool to 28 points – a tally bettered only once in the last 34 seasons when they amassed 31 points at the same stage in 2019-20 on the way to lifting the league title.

It was sparked by Nunez, who scored one and missed two, which for him was a typical night in a red shirt.

The criticism levelled at the Uruguay international is that he is not reliable enough in front of goal to be first-choice number nine but he has a knack for making himself the centre of attention regardless.

His 66 minutes on the pitch was an encapsulation of that as his 20th-minute goal saw him react quickest to a loose ball to fire past Emiliano Martinez.

But faced with a long run on goal and only the Argentinian to beat from another corner breakaway he skied his shot into the Kop, while the close-range header he missed early in the second half would have undoubtedly made for a more comfortable night for the league leaders.

The winner was almost a throwback to the Jurgen Klopp era as Virgil van Dijk broke out from a Villa corner and played the ball into an empty Villa half for Salah to race onto.

He was clean through but went down in a tangle with the pursuing Leon Bailey.
Referee David Coote waved away claims for a foul – and potential red card – but Nunez was alert to the opportunity and although his first touch took him wide of Martinez his second saw him fire into an empty net from a tight angle.

But faced with a one-on-one opportunity of his own from another Villa corner 12 minutes later he displayed the profligacy which has blighted his Liverpool career to date, having only been inches away from connecting with Salah’s deft chip moments earlier.

Liverpool may have dominated but in the space of a minute the visitors had four chances to equalise: Caoimhin Kelleher tipped over Amadou Onana’s header and then repelled Diego Carlos’ near-post flick from the next delivery, with Ryan Gravenberch blocking Ollie Watkins’ follow-up before Lucas Digne volleyed into the side-netting.

The loss of Trent Alexander-Arnold to a hamstring injury midway through the first half was a blow to Liverpool and England ahead of their forthcoming Nations League matches but it did not materially affect their performance.

Straight from the second half kick-off Morgan Rogers curled a shot wide after breaking down the left to serve warning that Villa were far from done, then Nunez was equally wasteful with his head from six yards out.

Villa’s claim for a penalty when Conor Bradley had hold of Pau Torres’ shirt at a free-kick was rejected by VAR but seemed a more valid shout than when Watkins went down theatrically in a shoulder challenge with the excellent Ibrahima Konate.

The visitors ramped up the pressure in the closing 15 minutes but it required Ezri Konsa to slide in to superbly deny Luis Diaz from yet another corner counter-attack.

However, Diego Carlos was not as fortunate when he headed against Salah, who raced away to beat Martinez for his eighth goal in 10 outings against Villa, who have lost four in a row under Unai Emery for the first time.

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BRIGHTON FIGHT BACK TO STUN MAN CITY AS CHAMPIONS SUFFER FOURTH SUCCESSIVE LOSS.

Brighton staged a sensational late fightback to come from behind and send Manchester City to a fourth consecutive defeat with a pulsating 2-1 win at the Amex Stadium.

Substitute Matt O’Riley appeared in the area in the 83rd minute to tuck away Joao Pedro’s pass for his first Brighton goal to stun the Premier League champions, minutes after Pedro had himself equalised following a penalty box scramble.

Erling Haaland’s goal after 23 minutes had looked like City’s winner for much of the game, the Norway striker finishing off following a sublimely calibrated pass from Mateo Kovacic.
Yet this was a display of supreme courage on the home side, Fabian Hurzeler’s players refusing to let go lightly of a chance to leap into the top four.
They deservedly levelled when half the City team descended on Danny Welbeck as he received the ball in the box. In the panic, no one spotted Pedro, who leapt onto the scene to finish.

And it fell to Pedro to provide the ball for O’Riley, appearing for only the second time since moving from Celtic after injury wrecked his early months at Brighton, who capped a famous night on the south coast with the coolest finish amid scintillating drama.

City had already lost three in a row for the first time since April 2018 and their injury problems had not abated. Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake, run ragged when only half-fit in the defeat against Bournemouth, made only the bench, so 19-year-old Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was handed his first league start in central defence.

Yet a fourth consecutive loss awaited Pep Guardiola for the first time in his managerial career, though the early signs had been that City’s blip was righted.

Kovacic, the visitors’ best player in the first half, drove upfield and slipped the ball to Savinho who was thwarted by Bart Verbruggen as he aimed for the corner.

The opening goal though was not long in arriving. Yasin Ayari gave the ball away near halfway to Kovacic and City’s midfield powerhouse cruised forward again. His ball to find Haaland was perfectly pitched, the striker’s run meticulously routed in between Igor Julio and Jan Paul van Hecke, and though Verbruggen blocked the initial shot, Haaland won the foot race with Van Hecke to crash the ball in off the crossbar from a yard out

Haaland saw his near-post drive turned against the post by Verbruggen then moments later glanced a header over from a corner, as City threatened a second.

Brighton had weathered a storm and they turned up the pressure on City before the break.
There might have been a penalty when Josko Gvardiol went to the ground and blocked Welbeck’s effort seemingly with an arm, the chance coming after Kyle Walker had misjudged the flight of the ball, but play continued.

The second half would see Brighton throw everything at the champions in search of a route back. Jack Hinshelwood headed straight at Ederson from Pervis Estupinan’s deep cross, then Kaoru Mitoma turned Walker in the corner with impudent trickery and teed up Estupinan, whose delivery was again spot on though Georginio Rutter was not so concentrated with his wayward header.

Ederson had to race from his goal to smother at the feet of Mitoma, and then Pedro drew agonised cries around the Amex when he followed up a featherlight touch to bring the ball down with an awful shot dragged wide with the goalkeeper to beat.

It looked like City would hold out, but Pedro and O’Riley had other ideas.

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OSIMHEN SCORES BRACE AS GALATASARAY EDGE SPURS IN 3-2 CLASH

Tottenham Hotspur missed the chance to top the UEFA Europa League table as they fell to a 3-2 defeat to Galatasaray at RAMS Park.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were so often masters of their own downfall as Victor Osimhen, the on-loan Napoli striker, bagged a brace to add to Yunus Akgun’s stunning opener.


Teenager Will Lankshear notched his first senior goal but was then sent off for a second bookable offence, and Dominic Solanke made an instant impact off the substitutes’ bench with a delicate backheeled finish from Pedro Porro to halve the deficit and keep Spurs in touching distance.

However, the visitors kept crumbling under the intense pressure from the raucous home support, who whistled furiously in an attempt to tease out mistakes.


Errors continued to plague the inexperienced Spurs side – which had seven changes made to it after Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Aston Villa – as their insistence on playing out from the back had them punished twice, but it really should have been more.


Okan Buruk’s hosts were ahead inside just six minutes when former Leicester City loanee Akgun half-volleyed a beauty into the top corner after Archie Gray had nodded away a free-kick, and it seemed as though Spurs’ young starlets would falter under the intimidation and deafening noise around the stadium.


They responded brilliantly, however, with their first foray forwards resulting in an equaliser – scored by the teenager Lankshear – after great persistence from Son Heung-min down the left, before Gray picked up the pieces on the underlap.
The deputising left-back got his head up to find Brennan Johnson peeling away at the far post, and the Wales international had the awareness to pick out Lankshear with a ball across the face of goal, which the junior striker prodded into the back of the net.


Back-up goalkeeper Fraser Forster was in fine form to halt Osimhen on 25 minutes when he was slotted through by the rampaging Gabriel Sara, and the Nigerian thought he had the Turkish side’s second when he nodded past the English shot-stopper, only to be denied by the flag.
Osimhen, however, would get on the scoresheet just two minutes later, with more sloppiness from the visitors playing out, and Dries Mertens latched onto the loose ball, sliding in the loanee to poke it past the onrushing Forster to re-establish Gala’s lead.


Forster was on hand to thwart Osimhen once more as Radu Dragusin was again caught dawdling on the ball, and just one minute later, Osmihen doubled his tally for the evening, with Spurs’ concentration waning as the attack reached its second phase. Mertens picked the ball up down the right, bending in an inviting ball that Osimhen buried.


Postecoglou was forced into action at half-time, hauling off Son and Johnson for Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, but the changes had no impact on the game’s momentum as the pendulum swung even further in Gala’s favour, the hosts piling on the pressure.


Mauro Icardi latched onto another loose ball in Spurs’ final third but lashed over before a penalty-box melee ensued as Mertens fired a shot at Bentancur. From the resulting corner, Akgun stung the palms of Forster with a vicious effort from range, before Osimhen missed a golden opportunity for his hat-trick as he directed a header high and wide from a delicious Mertens delivery.

The Turkish side could have been made to rue their profligacy as Solanke emerged off the bench to snatch what would turn out to be just a consolation for Tottenham, who were down to 10 after Lankshear was sent off for two yellows: first elbowing Kaan Ayhan, and then mistiming a challenge on Gabriel Sara tight to the touchline.


Icardi had the ball in the visiting net on 76 minutes after he linked up nicely with substitute Hakim Ziyech to slice through the wide-open Spurs defence, but the former Inter Milan forward, who was stretchered off later in the encounter, was flagged for offside.


The north London outfit slip down to fifth in the league table with the defeat, and they will need to dust themselves down quickly with tricky tests against Roma and Rangers coming thick and fast.
Galatasaray, meanwhile, top the tree on 10 points – at least temporarily – and they travel to AZ Alkmaar next.

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AMAD DIALLO’S BRACE ENDS MANCHESTER UNITED’S YEAR-LONG WAIT FOR A EUROPEAN WIN.

Amad Diallo’s delightful double ended Manchester United’s 380-day wait for a European win as Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw a much-needed 2-0 victory against PAOK in his penultimate match as interim boss.

Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils had drawn their first three matches in the new-look Europa League, blowing a lead at home to Twente before doing the same away to Porto and Fenerbahce.

Those results extended United’s wretched European record and played a part in his sacking, with recalled Diallo scoring a fine brace to seal United’s first victory in continental competitions since last October.

The result extended Van Nistelrooy’s unbeaten interim stint to a third match, with incoming head coach Ruben Amorim watching remotely from Portugal ahead of taking charge at Old Trafford on Monday.

Diallo will have certainly caught his eye on his first start in five weeks, with the lively winger denied a penalty despite appearing to be caught by Baba Rahman in a forgettable first half.

The 22-year-old continued to prove a thorn in the side and fantastically guided home a header before settling nerves with a beautiful curling effort from distance after winning the ball.

United had won just one of their last 11 European games and the Greek champions were no pushovers.

The 4,000 fans in the away end – plus a number in the home section – held their breath early on after Mady Camara’s shot was blocked by Casemiro, wrongfooting Andre Onana before being dealt with.

Andrija Zivkovic bent well wide after making himself space as the chorus of PAOK chants continued and United began asking questions of their own.

Van Nistelrooy’s side started sending balls into the box and Alejandro Garnacho saw a shot blocked shortly after the VAR checked for a potential penalty.

Diallo went down having been caught by former Chelsea left-back Rahman, but referee Radu Petrescu’s decision to ignore the appeals were ratified by Daniele Chiffi in the booth.

Rasmus Hojlund saw a bundled header gathered by Dominik Kotarski having met a cross from Diallo, who saw the ball taken off his toe by Rahman after Garnacho whizzed a low ball to him at the far post.

PAOK showed increasing threat as the opening period wound down. Onana stopped Zivkovic’s hopeful attempt and then tipped over Camara’s snapshot after a fine first touch.

Neither side made a change heading into a second half that was five minutes old when Diallo broke the deadlock.

Bruno Fernandes sent a diagonal ball to the far post, where Diallo stretched to send a looping header back across goal and just inside the post.

PAOK claimed Hojlund had impeded Tomasz Kedziora’s attempt to clear, but it was given the green light after a VAR check.

Diallo was denied a second by Kotarski as United played with intent but without the requisite incision.

That has been costly for United this term and Zivkovic lasered narrowly wide before PAOK blew a glorious 64th-minute chance.

Van Nistelrooy’s Reds were caught napping as Taison slipped in Tarik Tissoudali, who had made space between Jonny Evans and Diogo Dalot but saw his touch and strike from 10 yards saved by Onana low to his left.

The United goalkeeper anticipated the attempt and the forward was taken off as both managers made switches.

It was a let-off for Van Nistelrooy’s side, who calmed the nerves with a fantastic 77th-minute goal.

Diallo won possession as he continued his battle with Rahman, showing strength then skill as he moved on to his left foot and curled home a fine effort from the edge of the box.

Mason Mount came on after the matchwinner appeared to pick up a knock, with the visitors then bringing on Shola Shoretire.

The United academy graduate remains the youngest player to feature for the Red Devils in a European game and was applauded on to the field by the home support.

Homegrown Marcus Rashford went close to adding gloss in stoppage time.

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MANCHESTER CITY GETS 4-1 THRASHING BY SPORTING IN RUBEN AMORIM’S HOME FAREWELL

Ruben Amorim endeared himself to Manchester United fans before even arriving at Old Trafford by engineering a stunning 4-1 defeat of Manchester City with Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese was taking charge of his final home match as Sporting boss before officially starting work as United’s head coach and watched as his side came from behind to thrash City in the Champions League.

City took an early lead through Phil Foden but Sporting hit back with a hat-trick that included two penalties from Viktor Gyokeres – who has been tipped to follow Amorim to United – and a strike by Maximiliano Araujo.

It was the first time City – for whom Erling Haaland missed a penalty – have lost three games in succession since 2018, excluding a later sequence in 2021 that included the Community Shield.

The evening began with Sporting in a celebratory mood as they showed their appreciation for Amorim for a four-year spell in which he delivered two domestic titles.

They were celebrating again by the end, but only after overcoming a poor start in which City could have put the result beyond doubt themselves.

City won 5-0 on their last visit to the Jose Alvalade Stadium and may have fancied a repeat as they opened the scoring within four minutes.

Hidemasa Morita was robbed by Foden and punished as the England international fired through a poor attempt at a save by Franco Israel.

It was Foden’s eighth goal in his last nine Champions League starts, and he nipped in to seize possession again soon after, but this time the attack ended when Haaland sliced wide.

Israel almost had another moment to forget when he dallied in possession, but he cleared in the nick of time from under Haaland’s feet.

Despite City’s dominance, they were vulnerable to the counter-attack.

They had a lucky escape after Rico Lewis gave the ball away and Gyokeres raced away from inside his own half only to shoot tamely at Ederson.

It was a poor miss but the former Coventry striker was in the right place to hook clear off his own line from a Haaland header.

Haaland was also denied by a fine save from Israel when he met a Foden cross with a fierce volley and Bernardo Silva shot wide.

City were made to rue their profligacy as Sporting snatched an equaliser before the break.

Again they were caught by a quick break as Geovany Quenda released Gyokeres and this time the Swede made no mistake as he outpaced teenager Jamhai Simpson-Pusey to score.

It sparked a remarkable turnaround, with Francisco Trincao shooting over just before the break and Sporting grabbing the lead within 20 seconds of the second half starting.

The hosts went straight upfield and Araujo finished emphatically after timing his run onto Pedro Goncalves’ neat through-ball to perfection.

Things immediately got worse for City as they conceded a penalty within a minute of the next restart when Josko Gvardiol bundled Trincao over in the box. Gyokeres thumped home the spot-kick.

City were offered a route back into the game when they were awarded a controversial penalty of their own by VAR after a Silva shot struck Ousmane Diomande’s arm. Haaland failed to capitalise as he smashed the ball against the crossbar.

The third penalty of the game was awarded 10 minutes from time when substitute Geny Catamo was knocked over by Matheus Nunes.

Gyokeres again finished emphatically and Amorim, who will face City again in a Manchester derby next month, could wave farewell to the home fans in good heart.

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SUPER SUB HARRY WILSON STINGS BEES WITH ADDED-TIME DOUBLE IN THRILLING FULHAM WIN.

Substitute Harry Wilson scored two late goals as Fulham came from behind to beat west London rivals Brentford 2-1 in a Premier League thriller.

The visiting Bees initially stung their hosts through Vitaly Janelt’s goal before Wilson came off the bench to net twice in stoppage time and settle matters at Craven Cottage.

The dramatic climax enabled Marco Silva’s men to end a run of three matches without a win.

Reiss Nelson came into the starting XI at the expense of Adama Traore and the Arsenal loanee was in the thick of the action as he almost gave the hosts the lead in the opening minutes.

Nelson, operating on the left, was slipped through by fellow Arsenal academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe, and after his initial effort towards the near post was denied by Mark Flekken, the Brentford goalkeeper did well to get to his feet and perform a double save.

Smith Rowe’s quality was on full display under the lights and the Cottagers’ club-record signing was at the heart of a wonderful play which almost resulted in a 16th minute goal.

The midfield player started a one touch move between Nelson and Antonee Robinson where he was slipped through, with his shot being heroically blocked by Nathan Collins, who prevented his effort curling into the bottom right corner.

Brentford survived the early Fulham storm and Janelt then gave his side with a thumping strike.
The visitors’ press finally paid dividends as they won the ball high, allowing Janelt to crack a left-footed shot past Bernd Leno and into the corner of the net.

Silva turned to the bench after an hour as Traore came on in a bid to impact the match with his explosive pace down the right.

At this point, Thomas Frank’s side were sat in a low block, but Traore fancied himself against Bees left-back Sepp Van Den Berg, with his first action creating a cross for Raul Jimenez, with the in-form Mexican forward failing to get enough purchase or accuracy behind his headed attempt.

Fulham were not going down easily and Brentford needed to defend valiantly. Traore continued to see the ball down the right flank and after his first shot was blocked by Ben Mee, the central defender rushed out and put his body on the line to get in the way of a powerful half-volley which looked destined for the net.

The Cottagers continued to search for the equaliser and Traore created it in the second minute of added time.

The rapid Spaniard surged down the right and picked out Wilson, whose creative flick looped over Flekken and into the far corner.

Harry Wilson celebrates his second goal and game-winner at Craven Cottage

The Wales international, frustrated by his lack of starts for the Cottagers, was not finished. Five minutes later he showed the instincts of a striker to attack a Robinson cross and head the winning goal, to the delight of the home support.

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LEVERKUSEN BOSS, XABI ALONSO DISMISSES LIVERPOOL LINKS ON RETURN TO ANFIELD

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso dodged questions about taking over at Anfield and insisted he does not return to the city as a tourist.

Alonso was hot favourite for the Liverpool job when Jurgen Klopp announced in January he was leaving, but quickly ruled himself out of the running before guiding Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title.

Asked whether it was ever a serious consideration, the Spaniard, who won the 2005 Champions League during a five-year spell at Anfield, said: “At that time I was focused, I had a big thing with the players and we were really focused on that.”

He has already been linked with a return to another of his former clubs Real Madrid to succeed Carlo Ancelotti, but he refused to speculate on whether coming to Anfield would be a consideration.

“Let’s talk about the game tomorrow, it’s more interesting than my future. Let’s talk about the great players on both sides, that is what is in my head,” he added.

“For us it is a big challenge to come here. Liverpool at the moment is one of the best if not the best in Europe, they are showing that in a very strong Premier League and the Champions League.

“It’s a good squad, good coach. At Anfield, it’s a big challenge. We’re looking forward to it, let’s see what happens.”

Alonso remains a crowd favourite and there is every chance the Kop will sing his name at some point on Tuesday night.

“We will see, I will tell you after the game how I feel. There will be a moment for everything, but the main thing is not me,” he said.

“It’s the players, how we deal with the emotions you have in this stadium, they are in a good moment.”

On his return to Liverpool, he added: “Maybe tomorrow I will take a little walk or a run, but there is no time for tourism.

“I know the city very well, I loved it, but I will focus on the game and only the game.”

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SOUTHAMPTON BEAT EVERTON WITH LATE WINNER TO CLAIM FIRST LEAGUE VICTORY

Adam Armstrong scored an 85th-minute winner as Southampton beat Everton 1-0 to earn their first Premier League victory of the season.

The left-winger’s late goal helped lift the Saints off the foot of the table on a day where they were also indebted to the heroics of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

Everton’s Beto thought he had equalised minutes before the end but, after a lengthy review, the effort was ruled offside as Russell Martin’s promoted side were handed a much-needed boost in their survival bid.

Nottingham Forest’s Ryan Yates (centre) and team-mates celebrate victory after the final whistle in the Premier League match at the City Ground, Nottingham. Picture date: Saturday November 2, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Forest.

Saints’ theme of dominating possession continued as Everton struggled to breach the hosts’ well-organised structure in the early stages, with new boy Mateus Fernandes being the key link between midfield and attack.

The 20-year-old summer signing from Sporting Lisbon floated in between the lines and continuously picked out Armstrong on the right-hand side, but the wideman struggled to get the better of marker Vitalii Mykolenko.

Saints continued to play football which contradicted their 20th-place position at the start of the weekend, with Flynn Downes putting Cameron Archer in behind only for the striker’s effort to narrowly miss the left post, much to the relief of a well-beaten Jordan Pickford.

Everton had been second best, but with the game level they were still very much in the contest. A first-time strike from Idrissa Gueye off a corner routine early in the second half saw Ramsdale’s save awkwardly spin onto the roof of the net as Everton pushed men forward in search of the opener.

The Toffees came close again in the 67th minute. Substitute Jesper Lindstrom wandered onto the left, cut in and delivered a whipped inswinging delivery with his right foot, which was met by the head of Michael Keane in the six-yard box. Miraculously, Ramsdale demonstrated instinctive reflexes to touch the ball onto the post, keeping the scores level.

Ramsdale’s heroics continued as he began to outperform opposite number and England number one Pickford. The former Arsenal man, who made the move to the south coast for a reported £18 million in the summer, made another incredible stop, this time tipping Lindstrom’s free-kick over the bar.

Beto hit the bar for Everton after 84 minutes and, typical of the end-to-end affair, Saints surged down the other end to take the lead.

Yukinari Sugawara was unleashed down the right and a simple ball into the middle saw Armstrong jink inside and bury his first-time effort into the bottom left-hand corner.

Beto thought he had salvaged a point with a finish late on, but VAR saved Saints as they won an important and deserved three points.

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JORDAN AYEW EARNS LEICESTER A LATE POINT AS IPSWICH SQUANDER ANOTHER LEAD

Jordan Ayew’s stoppage-time equaliser denied Ipswich a first Premier League win of the season as Leicester snatched a 1-1 draw.

Town were on course for their first three points in the top flight since April 2002 when a superb volley from Leif Davis put them ahead.

But the Tractor Boys had Kalvin Phillips sent off with 15 minutes remaining, and the 10 men were unable to hold on.

Instead, Ayew’s last-gasp strike meant Kieran McKenna’s immensely watchable side have now squandered a lead five times in 10 matches this season.

Leicester, with manager Steve Cooper serving a touchline ban, should have gone ahead in the third minute when Jamie Vardy got in behind the Town back four.

But the 37-year-old opted to square the ball rather than shoot and Stephy Mavididi made a mess of his finish.

Moments later Leicester almost gifted the hosts a goal when Jannik Vestergaard miscontrolled a pass from goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Omari Hutchinson nicked the ball away from the defender and stood up an inviting cross for Sam Szmodics, who headed wastefully over.

Leicester’s Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte then embarked on a mazy run into the penalty area, beating four players before his deflected shot was pawed away by Arijanet Muric.

Ipswich passed up another good opportunity after half an hour when Dara O’Shea met a Davis corner unmarked at the back post, but he planted his header into the ground and wide.

But Town were playing some eye-catching stuff, and one slick move saw Liam Delap’s extravagant pass taken by Conor Chaplin and curled inches wide of the far post.

Hermansen had to come out bravely to deny the onrushing Delap and then hold Ben Johnson’s drive with Ipswich, like so many times this season, unable to convert some wonderful chances into goals.

That changed nine minutes into the second half, however, as Davis scored with a beautiful far-post volley. The left-back met a sweeping cross-field pass from Sam Morsy with a measured, cushioned effort back past Hermansen and inside the opposite post.

However, the mood inside Portman Road changed when a chaotic couple of minutes saw Conor Chaplin bundled over by Abdul Fatawu in the area, with referee Tim Robinson waving away Ipswich’s penalty appeals.

Robinson then further angered the locals when he showed Phillips a second yellow card for a foul on Abdul Fatawu.

Leicester sensed their chance but Buonanotte blazed over from 15 yards and Ayew’s goalbound shot was cleared by Cameron Burgess.

However, in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Morsy was robbed by Boubakary Soumare as he attempted to run the ball into the Ipswich half.

Soumare fed fellow substitute Ayew, who played a neat one-two with Vardy before slipping the ball under Muric to leave Cooper celebrating from the press seats and Ipswich utterly crestfallen.