Ipswich earn cathartic win to mark Premier League return

IPSWICH, England, Aug 22 : Jack Clarke's late strike secured a cathartic victory on Saturday for newly promoted Ipswich Town, whose 2-1 win over Sunderland underscored the club's desire to shake off the memories of a dismal 2024-25 Premier League campaign.

Ipswich won only once after December 2024 as their return to the top flight following two decades in the lower tiers ended in a 19th-place finish and relegation back to the Championship.

But the club earned another promotion last season, and marked their return to the big time with a victory that drew an emotional response from the roaring crowd at Portman Road.

"They pushed us on, they kept us going ... we finished really strong and that's a credit to the fans," Ipswich captain Dara O'Shea, who has been at the club since 2024, said.

Ipswich won only once at Portman Road in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, which started with a 10-game winless streak.

But the stadium has been hard to breach for visitors in the last year, with Ipswich unbeaten in home league games since October 2025.

"It took the club a long time to win last time in the Premier League so to put one on the board is nice. But one win won’t get us where we need to get to," said manager Gary O'Neil.

Ipswich next visit Manchester United in the league on August 30.

"Everyone is calm. We can get stronger in the next 10 days," O'Neil added.