Rotherham United vs Ipswich Town. Sky Bet Championship.
New York StadiumAttendance10,800.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Rotherham United and Ipswich Town at the New York Stadium on Saturday | Christ Tiehi's strike in second-half stoppage time saw Matt Taylor's Millers earn a deserved point
Wednesday 8 November 2023 06:09, UK
Christ Tiehi was Rotherham's saviour on Tuesday night as his goal in second-half stoppage time saw the Millers salvage a point from an entertaining 2-2 draw with Ipswich.
Matt Taylor's side had taken a surprise lead inside five minutes when summer signing Sam Nombe slotted in his first goal for the club, but a training ground move executed to sheer perfection saw Sam Morsy restore parity shortly afterwards.
A close-range finish from Jack Taylor at the end of a largely insipid second half looked to have settled the game in the Tractor Boys' favour, but Tiehi came up trumps with a stunning strike in the 91st minute to earn Rotherham a well-deserved point.
Had Taylor's goal been the winner, Ipswich would have moved to within a point of Championship leaders Leicester, but a point on the road does see them narrow it to three points with one more game before the November international break. The Millers, meanwhile, move to within four points of safety.
With Ipswich going toe-to-toe with Leicester at the top of the table and Rotherham already battling at the bottom, it looked as though the script was written for this game at the New York Stadium, initially postponed on October 20 after the River Don burst its banks in the midst of Storm Babet.
The Millers, uncharacteristically, pressed high from the off and took a shock lead inside five minutes when Fred Onyedinma seized control of the ball after Davis chested a pass down, drove on and laid the ball on a plate for Nombe to finish.
They were only ahead for 15 minutes, though. Davis shaped up to lift a free-kick from the right-hand side towards the six-yard box, but instead he squared for the unmarked Morsy, who effortlessly passed the ball into the top-left corner.
Town were denied a penalty before the break, too. Odoffin caught Hirst with his right leg in the box, but it seemed as though the theatrics from the latter after the contact made referee Graham Scott's decision for him.
Much of the second half passed without incident, with neither side taking a grip of the game. Spot-kick appeals were again waved away when Axel Tuanzebe's header appeared to strike the hand of Georgie Kelly, who then, at the other end, forced a rare save from Vaclav Hladky after a spot of pinball in the box.
The visitors did eventually take the lead 87 minutes in, when Oliver Rathbone's attempted clearance hit Taylor and bobbled over the line, but resilient Rotherham battled until the end, with Tiehi thundering home after Kelly's blocked shot fell kindly for him.
Rotherham's Matt Taylor:
"We worked hard. We started the game so well and this group of players have got an awful lot of spirit and character about them. A bit naive at times, you could certainly see that with their equalising goal, which then put us on the back foot a little bit in terms of the way we felt about ourselves. In the second half, we had to defend our box, but then still make the most of those set-piece opportunities.
"The ricochet that led to their second goal felt a little bit harsh, but for that ball to drop to Christ Tiehi and for him to put it in the top corner, it was a big moment for him.
"I'm really pleased with the way the game looked for the majority of the players. I hope it's not taken too much out of them because it's a three-game week. Our home form can only take us to a certain point; we have to improve our away form. We're not naive enough to not understand we have to start picking up points and hopefully that will happen - on the back of a feel-good night - this weekend."
Ipswich's Kieran McKenna:
"It's tough when you concede an early goal and that's a big challenge in any away game in the Championship, but I really can't fault the players from that moment until the set-piece at the end. I can't fault the way we stuck to the plan, the way we kept playing, the way we gradually took control of the game - and I thought the performance in the second half was excellent.
"We got two goals and I thought we were good value for two penalties, at least, to be honest. I thought George's one was a penalty and I thought it was a clear penalty from the header with Kelly's outstretched arm, which was way out of his body in front of the referee. We haven't had a penalty yet this season, but it is what it is. Even taking the penalties out of it, I thought we did enough to win the game.
"Of course it's frustrating to drop points at the end, but overall, I'm proud of the effort and I think we did a lot of good things in the game."
Both teams are back in action at 3pm on Saturday November 11.
Rotherham travel to Vicarage Road to take on Watford, while Ipswich host Swansea at Portman Road.
