Clarke's Penalty Salvages Draw as Ipswich's Title Push Stalls

But here's where Clarke and a generous interpretation of contact in the box rescued them. The penalty was soft, perhaps, but Middlesbrough were always going to argue it was contact. Clarke buried it with the composure of someone who'd taken hundreds before. Still, you can't build a title challenge on scrapping for draws you should be winning. Ipswich had 17 shots to Middlesbrough's 15, controlled possession at 53 percent and crafted the more cohesive football. Their xG of 2.03 against Middlesbrough's 2.69 tells the real story: both sides created roughly equivalent chances, but Ipswich's execution was sloppier when it mattered.

Clarke buried it with the composure of someone who'd taken hundreds before. Still, you can't build a title challenge on scrapping for draws you should be winning. Ipswich had 17 shots to Middlesbrough's 15, controlled possession at 53 percent and crafted the more cohesive football. Their xG of 2.03 against Middlesbrough's 2.69 tells the real story: both sides created roughly equivalent chances, but Ipswich's execution was sloppier when it mattered. Middlesbrough, for their part, were frustratingly vulnerable yet somehow resilient. Three consecutive defeats before this match had left them looking decidedly ordinary, but they made Ipswich work for everything. Targett picked up a yellow in the opening stages and Middlesbrough's discipline frayed as the match progressed three more cautions arriving in the final minutes as tempers rose.

Middlesbrough, for their part, were frustratingly vulnerable yet somehow resilient. Three consecutive defeats before this match had left them looking decidedly ordinary, but they made Ipswich work for everything. Targett picked up a yellow in the opening stages and Middlesbrough's discipline frayed as the match progressed three more cautions arriving in the final minutes as tempers rose. They're a team lacking rhythm and consistency, yet they still managed to make a top-two side look uncomfortable.

What rankles for Ipswich is that they have everything set up perfectly. Two points clear of Middlesbrough, holding second with games running down, they should be pressing their advantage. Instead they leave this fixture with questions about whether they can finish the job. McAteer showed glimpses of quality on the ball and his finishing was clinical, but elsewhere the final pass let them down too often. They sprayed 454 passes but only converted 83 percent of them into accurate ones. Middlesbrough's 76 percent accuracy was closer than it should've been.

Middlesbrough will head home cursing the lapse that allowed Clarke to steal it, but also knowing they're still very much in the conversation. Third place is just one point away. For Ipswich though, this draw feels like a missed opportunity to put a proper stranglehold on the automatic promotion places. Second place is a good place to be, but it's not where champions finish.