Ipswich and Forest Share a Point in a Shot-Heavy 1-1

Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest finished 1-1, but the shot totals tell a story of a visiting side that made far more of the match than the scoreline suggests. Forest took 17 shots to Ipswich's 7, and 15 of those came from inside the box, against Ipswich's 3.

The finishing gap is where the result was decided. Forest had 5 shots on target and created 4 big chances, missing 3 of them. Ipswich managed 3 shots on target and created 2 big chances, missing 1. Possession was almost level at 49 per cent for Ipswich and 51 per cent for Forest, so this was not a match one side controlled through the ball. It was a contest of chances, and Forest left more of them unused.

The opening goal came early. Neco Williams scored for Ipswich in the 13th minute, and the home side held that lead into the interval until Julio Enciso equalised for Forest in the 41st. Williams, who started and played 84 minutes, had 2 shots with 1 on target, and his goal was the only one the hosts scored. Enciso, who started and played 86 minutes, was the most dangerous visiting attacker, taking 4 shots and getting 2 of them on target.

Ipswich also had Liam Delap in the attack from the start. He played the full 90 minutes and took 3 shots, though none of those shots are recorded as on target in the seed. Daniel Muñoz, also a full-match starter, added an assist and 1 shot. Those are the individual lines that stand out from the home side's attacking shape.

The disciplinary picture was light on the Ipswich side as well. Issa Diop was booked for Forest in the 51st minute, and Murillo was booked for Ipswich in the 54th. Substitutions were heavy on both sides. Zian Flemming and Jack Clarke came on for the visitors in the 60th and 61st minutes, and Callum Hudson-Odoi and Luca Netz came on for the hosts in the 69th and 84th. Late changes such as Chuba Akpom in the 86th and Chris Wood in the 90th added further fresh legs, but the seed does not show any goal from those later arrivals.

The result leaves both clubs with work to do. Ipswich now have 10 points from 8 matches, with 12 goals scored and 16 conceded, and their recent run reads D-L-W-L-W. Forest have 6 points from the same number of games, with 6 goals scored and 10 conceded, and a form line of D-L-L-L-W. A point against a side that generated 17 shots is a useful return for Ipswich, while for Forest the 3 big chances missed will be the figure that stays with the staff.

In short, the match was level on the scoreboard and on possession, but not on chances. Forest created more, shot more and got into the box far more often. Ipswich took their lead through Williams and held it for a period, but a single equaliser from Enciso and a shot count of 17 to 7 leave the match looking more like a missed opportunity for Forest than a comfortable point for the home side.