Ipswich Town experienced the utter jubilation of a last-minute winner away at Wolverhampton Wanderers, having fallen victim to a devastating loss right at the death versus AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League just one match prior to this golden outing at Molineux.
Tractor Boys supporters packed into Wolves’ home ground would have been fearing another poor result after Matheus Cunha had levelled the match late on at 1-1, but second-half substitute Jack Taylor was the hero the away masses craved when he dramatically headed home a chance from a corner on the 94th-minute mark.
The former Peterborough United midfielder hasn’t been a staple of Kieran McKenna’s starting lineups since promotion, but after this invaluable contribution, he could well be gifted more opportunities.
Taylor's important winner
Whilst a home win still manages to evade the Suffolk side, this goal means Ipswich now have two victories on the road after overcoming Tottenham Hotspur by the same 2-1 scoreline.
Whilst that trip to North London saw Ipswich boldly pick up the three points, this win at Molineux was far more gritty and hard-fought in nature, with Taylor stealing the headlines when converting a late opening after a Jack Clarke corner found him in space.
That must be the highlight of Taylor’s time in an Ipswich shirt to date, with the ecstatic number 14 only on the pitch for a matter of 15 minutes before powering home a header to send the travelling support into raptures.
Only starting once this season so far in the top-flight, moments of magic like this could see McKenna try out the 26-year-old from the start more often moving forward, especially as games come thick and fast.
But, there is another midfield presence that shone even brighter than Taylor across the majority of the tense contest who will hope he can remain front and centre of his manager’s first team plans too.
Cajuste's performance in numbers
Jens Cajuste arguably put in his best display for the Premier League relegation candidates since his summer loan move from Napoli versus Gary O’Neil’s hosts, with this being his seventh start in the division so far.
Performance in Numbers
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Very rarely squandering possession when on the pitch, with just two mishit passes from 32 attempted, the Scandinavian midfielder also displayed a bite in his game to help out the defenders behind him as a holding option.
Minutes played
75
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
45
Accurate passes
30/32 (94%)
Key passes
1
Successful dribbles
2/2
Interceptions
2
Tackles
3
Total duels won
8/13
Overall, it was a very well-rounded display from the Swede, who won eight of his 13 aerial duels on the day to show off his imposing nature in the middle, whilst also displaying his daringness to venture forward on occasion with 100% of his dribbles successfully completed.
Cajuste would be rewarded with a high 8/10 rating post-match by East Anglian Daily Times journalist Alex Jones, who labelled the 25-year-old’s display as “exceptional” and even gifted him the accolade of being Ipswich’s man of the match.
Also receiving the honour of being Ipswich’s player of the month for November recently, Cajuste will want to kick on and put in some more exemplary performances, with more wins tallied up next to his side’s name in the Premier League rankings consequently.
There is still some way to go before the close of the season, but McKenna will be encouraged by his team’s fight at Molineux in downing a fellow relegation rival.
Now, it’s all about finally picking up that elusive home win, with the potential for that to come when Newcastle United travel to Portman Road just four days before Christmas.
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