Ipswich’s Carabao Cup Win Sends A Statement
Marcelino Nunez scored twice, including a spectacular strike from near the halfway line, as Ipswich Town beat League One side Leicester City 3-1 in the Carabao Cup second round at Portman Road. The result sent Gary O’Neil’s Premier League side into Wednesday’s third-round draw and continued O’Neil’s unbeaten start as Ipswich manager, and it marked a satisfying Carabao Cup win for the promoted club.
Sindre Walle Egeli opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, finishing off a move started by Chuba Akpom and squared by Jack Clarke. However, Leicester hit back five minutes later when 19-year-old Olabade Aluko scored his first professional goal after Louis Page’s corner was flicked on.
Nunez then restored Ipswich’s lead in the 71st minute, driving a low effort into the corner from outside the penalty area after Leicester’s Woyo Coulibaly gave the ball away cheaply. Still, Leicester pushed for an equalizer, and for more than 20 minutes the tie hung in the balance.
In the end, Nunez settled it in stoppage time with a strike from near the halfway line that beat goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk before he could react. The Carabao Cup win marked only the second time in 11 seasons that Ipswich have advanced beyond the second round, and Nunez was named man of the match in front of 21,559 fans.
Leicester Fight Back But The Carabao Cup Win Slips Away
For Leicester, the defeat followed a shock 1-2 loss to Burton Albion in League One just three days earlier, and manager Russell Martin made six changes as his side prioritized their league campaign. As a result, Leicester’s focus now shifts fully to their League One promotion push, with a trip to MK Dons up next.
Meanwhile, Ipswich’s Carabao Cup win offers early evidence of squad depth as O’Neil’s side prepares for a Premier League trip to Manchester United on Sunday. Overall, Tuesday’s tie showed that a competition often treated as secondary can still produce genuine late drama between clubs from different tiers of English football.
