Ipswich Town 3-0 Bristol Rovers: Kalvin Phillips scores first goal in over a YEAR with fine finish as Tractor Boys advance to FA Cup fourth round
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Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal since December 2023 as Ipswich beat Bristol Rovers 3-0 in the FA Cup third round at Portman Road.
The defensive midfielder showed signs of his best as his curling finish put Kieran McKenna’s men on track to beat their Sky Bet League One visitors with further goals courtesy of Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor before half-time.
Town settled down after the break but missed the chance for a fourth when Ali Al-Hamadi pushed a penalty wide of the post after a handball in the penalty area.
Phillips’ quality helped Ipswich dominate the ball in the early stages and a neat substitution wide by the Manchester City loanee was eventually met by the unmarked Taylor, who swung wildly to let Rovers off the hook after 15 minutes.
Phillips’ pedigree was on full display as he received the ball outside the area and the England international responded to the cries of ‘shoot’ with a whipped effort that flashed past goalkeeper Josh Griffiths and into the bottom right corner.
Ipswich’s press forced Rovers into constant mistakes as they defended from the front to get another one. Left back Lino Sousa received the ball on the turn and took too long in possession, allowing Blue Shirts to intercept his wayward back pass as Clarke was about to tap home.
Kalvin Phillips scored his first goal since December 2023 in a 3-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers
Jack Clarke and Jack Taylor (pictured) were also on the scoresheet for Ipswich at Portman Road
Rovers’ backline was not at the level to compete with their Premier League hosts.
Taylor appeared to be in an offside position for Ipswich’s third goal, but with no VAR and few attempts from the visitors to mark the striker, he ran on to a loose ball through the middle and showed composure to clear with the side of his foot to complete.
The Tractor Boys’ ruthless approach continued after the break when Massimo Luongo’s shot struck Grant Ward’s hand as they were awarded a penalty.
Al-Hamadi stepped up and pushed his penalty wide to save Rovers from scoring a fourth goal.